Windows CE 2.0 ROM Upgrades for Handheld PC Devices
CESD|200107Applies To
- Casio Cassiopeia A-10
- Casio Cassiopeia A-11
- Casio Cassiopeia A-11 Plus
- Casio Cassiopeia A-50
- Casio Cassiopeia A-51
- Casio Cassiopeia A-51V
- Compaq C120
- Compaq C120+
- Compaq C140
- Ericsson MC12
- Hewlett Packard 300LX
- Hewlett Packard 320LX
- NEC MobilePro 400
- NEC MobilePro 450
- Philips Velo 1
Overview
This article discusses the details and availability of the Windows CE 2.0 upgrade for first generation Windows CE 1.0 devices.
More Info
The phenomenal demand for information that we receive each week requesting information on this humble chip is astounding.
The fact remains that there are still a substantial number of Windows CE 1 users out there who never knew that there was a ROM upgrade path for their device.
This section is here primarily to answer your questions on the ROM upgrade. We post all the information that we receive regarding the upgrade here on this site. Please only contact us directly if you have information on obtaining ROM upgrades. If you have questions regarding ROM upgrades please post on the forums.
We cannot provide information on the location's of ROM upgrades in country's that are not specified at the bottom of this article. Please do not ask us if we know where you can purchase upgrades. All the information we have available have is posted here on this page.
If you wish to use the Forum hpcBay area to make a request for a ROM upgrade, all registered users are welcome to do so, however users should be sure to view previous listings and appreciate how infrequently the chips come up before posting.
What is the ROM Upgrade?
The CE 2 ROM Chip upgrades the H/PC operating system from Windows CE 1.0x to Windows CE 2.0.
Windows CE 1 was short lived. By the time most OEM's were fluently rolling out CE 1.0x devices, Microsoft had released Windows CE 2. Some OEM's offered the upgrade for free*, to existing customers, as well as creating new hardware devices with native support for the new platform.
The majority of the new generation of devices contained faster processors and double the memory capacity of its predecessors.
H/PC Manufacturers which made ROM Upgrades available for their CE 1.0x devices included hp, Casio, Compaq, NEC and Philips.See Also:
History of Windows CE
Should I upgrade my device?
The answer to that is Yes. Unless you can afford to buy a new H/PC, or update to a newer model this is the best course of action for all Windows CE 1.0x users. Updating the ROM module will provide added support and functionality for the device, far surpassing the abilities of Windows CE 1.
Updating to Windows CE 2 will allow you to install and use a wider range of hardware and software applications by many different developers. You will find that obtaining software for your device is easier as there are more developers for the platform. There are very few developers still writing for Windows CE 1.
Having CE 2 will also allow you to upgrade your host PC to a newer operating system than Windows 95 or NT 4.0. Windows 98, Millennium, 2000, XP and 2003 are fully supported with some additional, free software as are Office 97 (Windows 98 - 2000 only), 2000, XP and 2003. With CE 2, using third party software you can also connect to non Microsoft Operating Systems and Office Productivity suites on your host PC.
Finally the OS and security enhancements that come with CE 2 complete the package.
What do I get with the ROM Upgrade?
The contents of the Windows CE 2.0 ROM Upgrade depend largely on the features offered by the device OEM. While the core operating system is universal, the installed software can vary. For example not all devices will have Pocket PowerPoint or Voice Recorder. OEM's may also add their own, or third party applications to the ROM chip
As an example the hp 300 Series ROM upgrade offers the following over and above the Microsoft applications:
- bsquare Fax Professional v3
- bsquare bFind
- hp Month-at-a-Glance
In addition, the upgrade also includes new or significantly updated versions of:
- Microsoft Pocket Word
- Microsoft Pocket Excel
- Microsoft Pocket PowerPoint
- Microsoft Pocket Outlook
- Microsoft Pocket Internet Explorer
- Windows CE operating System GUI and shell components
For more information on Windows CE 2.0 please see the History of Windows CE section.
Is there a ROM upgrade available for my device?
The following table lists devices which had CE 2.00 ROM Upgrades issued in 1997.
| Device |
ROM Upgrade Available
|
Upgrade Type |
| Casio CASSIOPEIA A-10 |
Yes
|
Daughter Board (ROM Chip) |
| Casio CASSIOPEIA A-11 |
Yes
|
Daughter Board (ROM Chip) |
| Casio CASSIOPEIA A-11 Plus |
Yes
|
Daughter Board (ROM Chip) |
| Casio CASSIOPEIA A-50 |
Yes
|
Daughter Board (ROM Chip) |
| Casio CASSIOPEIA A-51 |
Yes
|
Daughter Board (ROM Chip) |
| Casio CASSIOPEIA A-51V |
Yes
|
Daughter Board (ROM Chip) |
| Compaq C120 |
Yes
|
Daughter Board (ROM Chip) |
| Compaq C120+ |
Yes
|
Daughter Board (ROM Chip) |
| Compaq C140 |
Yes
|
Daughter Board (ROM Chip) |
| Ericsson MC12 |
Yes
|
Daughter Board (ROM Chip) |
| Hewlett Packard 300LX |
No
|
|
| Hewlett Packard 320LX |
Yes
|
Daughter Board (ROM Chip) |
| HITACHI HPW10E4 |
No
|
|
| HITACHI HPW10E4MB |
No
|
|
| LG Phenom GP40M |
No
|
|
| NEC MobileGear MC-CS11 |
No
|
|
| NEC MobileGear MC-CS12 |
No
|
|
| NEC MobileGear MC-CS13 |
No
|
|
| NEC MobilePro 200 |
No
|
|
| NEC MobilePro 400 |
Yes
|
Daughter Board (ROM Chip) |
| NEC MobilePro 450 |
Yes
|
Daughter Board (ROM Chip) |
| Philips Velo 1 |
Yes
|
Daughter Board (ROM Chip) |
These devices do not meet the minimum specification for use with Windows CE 2.11 (H/PC Professional) which is the next step up the H/PC Operating System Ladder.
What do the OEM's say about obtaining the Upgrade?
Hewlett Packard
Below is a message from HP Jornada commenting on the availability of the ROM upgrade. As you will see they deny the availability of the ROM upgrade even though it is still available. Obviously someone in the hierarchy of Jornada someone has made a decision to try and push users to buy new devices.
HPC Factor believes this to be a mistake on the part of Jornada.
Thank you for contacting HP's Customer Care e-mail support.
I understand that you would like to upgrade the ROM of your Jornada
320LX Palmtop.
There was an upgrade for the HP 320LX units to Windows CE 2.0 that was
available for about a year. This upgrade has been discontinued and is
no longer available.
Currently the only option available to upgrade to a newer version of
Windows CE is to purchase a new device.
If you need further assistance, please reply to this message. You may
also find technical and troubleshooting information along with software
updates, on our HP Customer Care Web site at:
http://www.hp.com/
Best regards,
Kerry
HP Customer Solutions Team
* Our advice is strictly limited to the question(s) asked and is
based on the information provided to us. Problems and solutions
may depend on the nature of your system environment and various
other parameters that are unknown to HP; therefore, HP cannot assume
any responsibility or liability. Please be advised that technical
information changes as new data becomes available, therefore, HP
recommends that you regularly check our Customer Care Web site for
possible updates at:
http://www.hp.com/go/support
HP shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental
or consequential damages in connection with the use of this
information.
Ericsson
Below is a the official Ericsson Press Release from December 1997 announcing the immediate availability for the Ericsson MC12 Windows CE 2.0 ROM Upgrade.
19 December, 1997
ERICSSON ANNOUNCES UPGRADE TO WINDOWS CE 2.0 FOR MC 12 CUSTOMERS
Ericsson Mobile Communications AB today announced its support for the Windows CE 2.0 operating system. Moving to enhance their customer's investment in the MC 12 Mobile Companion currently running Windows CE 1.0, Ericsson has opted to offer, subject to time limitations, a free upgrade program to Windows CE 2.0.
Customers purchasing a MC 12 before February 28, 1998, will be eligible to apply for a Windows CE 2.0 ROM module from Ericsson. This is a world-wide offer, free of charge, and will be completed when Windows CE 2.0 becomes available.
Casio
September 8, 1997--CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD., in conjunction with CASIO, INC., announced today a free Windows CE 2.0 ROM upgrade program for new purchasers of the market leading, CASSIOPEIA Handheld PC. The Windows CE ROM Upgrade Kit will be available for CASSIOPEIA Handheld PC's - A-11, and A-11 Plus. The upgrade kit can easily be installed and requires no special tools.
-
"The Windows CE 2.0 ROM upgrade for the Handheld PC is a new release from Microsoft which will allow enhanced performance for CE H/PCs," said Gary Rado, Executive Vice President of the Handheld Personal Computer Division and Digital Imaging Division of Casio. "This ROM upgrade system protects the users investment and demonstrates Casio's commitment to develop Handheld PCs that can easily be expanded and updated," continued Rado.
-
A free upgrade kit will be available to Casio users who purchase either a CASSIOPEIA A-11 or A-11 Plus from September 8, 1997 to December 31, 1997. For current CASSIOPEIA owners this upgrade kit is also available for $99.99. Fulfilment of the free upgrade will occur soon after Microsoft's release of the next version expected in the fourth quarter of 1997.
-
"We're pleased with Casio's announcement of the availability of their ROM Upgrade Kit which will allow upgrading of existing H/PCs to the next release of Windows CE for the H/PC," said Harel Kodesh, General Manager, Consumer Appliance Group at Microsoft. "Casio's commitment to developing products that enhance productivity is why our partnership has been so successful in the launch of Windows CE."
-
The CASSIOPEIA was the first Windows CE based Handheld PC available at the launch last November at Comdex. Rado continued to comment that as the market leader in the Windows CE category, they will continue to support the CASSIOPIEA users.
-
For more information please visit the Casio website at www.casio.com or www.casiohpc.com.
-
CASSIOPEIA
-
CASSIOPEIA comes with Windows CE built-in, a Windows-based operating system specially developed by Microsoft Corp. The result is a high level of data compatibility between CASSIOPEIA and Windows-based desktop computers. It also offers the same user interface as found in Windows for the desktop. The open architecture of the system helps ensure a rich supply of software applications from third-party developers.
-
-
CASSIOPEIA has a number of pre-installed useful applications including Information Manager (which is synchronized with Microsoft Schedule +/Outlook™ for Windows 95), Microsoft Pocket Word and Microsoft Pocket Excel Ð H/PC versions of the well-known PC software applications such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, a world clock and a calculator. In addition, e-mail capabilities and Microsoft Pocket Internet Explorer, together with various ports perform powerful data communications. CASSIOPEIA comes bundled with a selection of business-oriented applications that will allow fax transmission, remote e-mail access, information service reception using 1-way pager, wireless e-mail for use with a 2-way pager.
-
-
In addition the CASSIOPEIA offers the unique Casio QV-link connection software. This software allows transferring images to and from a Casio QV digital camera. It allows the user to edit titles, comments and enter dates, and rearrange or delete the images in the camera. In the presentation mode, the user can control the display of presentations through the Casio QV camera to a TV monitor. The QV link gives the user the ability to take photos with the digital camera, download it to the CASSIOPEIA and then e-mail it over the Internet.
-
-
As the first manufacturer of the Digital Diary, Casio was able to draw upon years of experience in developing the next-generation mobile information hardware.
-
- ***
-
CASIO Computer Co., Ltd., is one of the leading consumer electronics companies in the world. Since its establishment in 1957, CASIO has been active in the development of electronic calculators, timepieces, musical instruments, digital cameras, LCD TVs, pagers and other communications devices. CASIO's corporate activities are guided by the motto: "Creativity and Contribution." (www.casio.co.jp)
-
-
Casio, Inc., Dover, NJ, is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. Casio, Inc., with sales over $500-million, markets calculators, watches, business organizers, musical keyboards, audio and video products, electronic cash registers, digital cameras and other consumer electronic products (www.casio.com)
-
-
CASIO and CASSIOPEIA are trademarks of CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
-
-
How can I obtain the Module?
The module is Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) software. This means that it can only be distributed through the OEM, or with the OEM's express permission. As a result, unless you try for an on-line auction site, your best and only safe bet is to go directly to the OEM
The module is old hardware, and understandably the OEM's want you to go out and purchase a new device, as a result contacting the Sales department for the upgrade should be your second port of call, We advise that you first contact Technical support. This may seem strange, but it is where our users report having the best luck in tracking down the module here in the United Kingdom.
Users should also be aware of the HPC:Factor forum resource hpcBay. hpcBay is a free service provided by us to users, providing them with a place where they can request, trade and sell Handheld PC hardware and software.
All users seeking ROM upgrades should look through the hpcBay and consider the merits of posting a request.
View hpcBay
Europe:
In the United Kingdom, the ROM Upgrade has been found to be available from hp Jornada Technical Support.
North America:
HP - In the United States, the ROM Upgrade has been found to be available from the hp replacement parts service.
The Module is available via a Independent Distributor; Code Micro, shipping available to the United States & Canada[1] (Sold Out)
NEC - Information on the Mobile Pro 400 / 450 upgrade can be found by clicking here
South America:
None
Australasia:
None
Asia:
None
India:
None
Pole's & Other locals:
None
The absence of places to obtain the ROM upgrade is due to user reluctance in contacting us back with information on where they obtained it. As a result we feel that spending our time answering questions on obtaining the module from users around the world is not justified. All contact's to us regarding the ROM upgrade will be replied to with a link back to this page. If you have any further information as to the availability of the ROM module, please contact us with the details.
[1] Thanks to Mike Carter for providing us with information on this link
* Note: The free upgrade is no longer a standing offer from hp or Casio. All references to the upgrade on their web site are now deemed invalid by hp Jornada - Confirmed January 2001
