.KEYWORD flashpro
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE How to get an extra 824K using FlashPro
.OTHER
.SUMMARY The Palm III, Palm IIIx, and Palm V have flash memory that’s used to hold the operating system. In this article, Senior Technical Editor Claire Pieterek reviews an update to a popular software product that allows you to gain access to an additional 800K of flash memory to hold applications and backup your data. For less than $30, you can substantially increase the power of your Palm device!
.AUTHOR Claire Pieterek
Now that the Palm IIIx and Palm V are comfortably ensconced in the PDA pantheon, some of the third-party hardware and software products I’ve considered indispensable to my life with Palm devices have quirks or incompatibilities with the new machines that need to be worked out.
.CALLOUT FlashPro runs on your Palm device, rather than on the PC. FlashBuilder III ran only on Windows-based PCs, which left Mac, Unix/Linux, and OS/2 users out in the cold.
So it is with TRG’s FlashBuilder III. This utility, which I reviewed in the June 1998 issue of PalmPower, doesn’t work with the Palm IIIx or Palm V. TRG has since released FlashPro, a new Palm-based utility that’s a vast improvement on its worthy predecessor.
FlashPro costs $29.95–$20 less than FlashBuilder III. It’s a completely new product, so there is no real upgrade path for previous FlashBuilder III customers. But it’s quite a good buy–the Palm IIIx and Palm V have 824K of free flash, (unless you’re using a localized Spanish, French, or German version, which only has 760K of free flash available). Japanese users can’t really benefit from FlashPro unless they own the TRG "xtra xtra Pro" board–the localized Japanese Workpads don’t have any available flash.
FlashPro is compatible with the Palm III, IIIx, and Palm V. FlashBuilder III worked only with the Palm III. Note that neither FlashPro nor FlashBuilder III can be used with a Synapse pager card, because that card uses an Intel flash chip. Although TRG’s Web site claims compatibility with the Symbol SPT 1500, I would advise against using it. I managed to wipe one of those out so badly that Recovery Mode wouldn’t even work. This is the only problem I’ve had with either FlashPro or FlashBuilder III.
FlashPro runs on your Palm device, rather than on the PC. FlashBuilder III ran only on Windows-based PCs, which left Mac, Unix/Linux, and OS/2 users out in the cold. If you can sync your Palm device, you’ll be able to install and use FlashPro.
FlashPro is much easier to use than FlashBuilder III. You move or copy programs from RAM to flash, and vice versa. You don’t have to manually maintain them on your Palm device, as you did with FlashBuilder III.
FlashPro can be used to back up volatile data, like your Address Book or Date Book, in case your Palm device needs a hard reset. You can even put a backup copy of FlashPro into flash, so you’ll be prepared for just about any catastrophe.
I need to repeat this again because it’s so important: although the TRG Web site claims compatibility, I advise against running FlashPro on a Symbol SPT 1500, since I wiped one out to the point where it would not boot at all.
.H1 What is flash?
The Pilot and PalmPilot used read-only memory (ROM) to store the operating system, and random access memory (RAM) to store data and programs. The Palm III came equipped with flash memory to store PalmOS. PalmOS 3.0 did not completely fill the flash memory, and TRG developed FlashBuilder III to allow Palm device users to take advantage of the extra 786K of memory available. The advantage of flash is that it is non-volatile, like ROM, but can also be written to, like RAM.
.H1 Setting up FlashPro
Install both FlashPro.prc and FlashProSetup.prc on your Palm device using your install tool of choice. Then HotSync and you’re ready to begin, as shown in Figure A.
.FIG A Here’s my Palm IIIx with the FlashPro and Flash Setup icons.
Before you can use FlashPro, you need to run Flash Setup. If you use HackMaster, Flash Setup will warn you to disable your hacks, as shown in Figure B. If you don’t run HackMaster, or you’ve already disabled your hacks, tap the OK button to continue.
.FIG B Choose the "Run HackMaster" button to disable your hacks before running Flash Setup.
You’ll see the TRG logo screen, and a button inviting you to "Install FlashPro Support", as shown in Figure C.
.FIG C Tap the Install button to prepare your Palm device for FlashPro.
You’ll see a warning message advising you that the flash will be formatted, shown in Figure D. FlashBuilder III users should note that all of the apps they put in flash will be erased during this process. You might want to double-check your PC’s directory for backup copies of those applications prior to formatting the flash.
.FIG D After careful consideration (this clears your flash), press OK to go ahead and format your Palm device’s flash.
In a flash, Flash Setup will flash Recovery Mode code to your Palm device, format the flash, and configure the operating system in preparation for using FlashPro. When that process is complete, Flash Setup will tell you to reset your Palm device, as shown in Figure E.
.FIG E Tap OK. After your Palm unit is reset, you’ll be able to begin using FlashPro.
.H1 Using FlashPro
Tap the FlashPro icon to start using FlashPro. If you run HackMaster, the first thing you’ll see is a warning not to copy, move, or delete enabled hacks, as in Figure F.
.FIG F HackMaster users will encounter problems if they try to copy, move, or delete running hacks.
If you don’t run HackMaster, you’ll see a list of applications in RAM, as in Figure G.
.FIG G Here is a list of applications I have in my Palm IIIx’s RAM.
To move an application from RAM to flash, highlight it by tapping on it, then tap the Move button at the bottom of the screen. You can move multiple items at the same time, if you wish. You’ll see a helpful warning dialog, shown in Figure H.
.FIG H Here I’m moving DateBk3 from RAM to flash.
When you move programs from RAM to flash, you’ll see a screen with two progress indicators: one denoting the program, and the other letting you know the completion percentage. A flashing square will appear on the upper right corner of the screen as the application is copied to flash, the flash directory is updated, the RAM copy is deleted, and FlashPro cleans up.
Not all programs will work in flash. You can check the compatibility list maintained by Allen Shymchuk (at http://www.asynccomputing.com/pilot/trg/compatibilityListing/index.htm) to see whether or not your favorite applications are flash-friendly.
.H1 Safety net
You can copy FlashPro into your Palm device’s flash, along with copies of your vital data. If you ever need to do a hard reset, you’ll have your information ready to restore, with no PC needed. Note that you’ll periodically have to recopy the data you back up in flash so that you’ll have relatively current data.
Select FlashPro, then select Copy to Flash Menu from the Tools menu in order to put a backup copy in flash, which will be named "Backup of Flash Pro". You can also try tapping the Move button, but you’ll see the error message depicted in Figure I.
.FIG I Trying to move a copy of FlashPro from RAM to flash will generate this error message. Just tap Continue to place a backup copy of FlashPro in flash. If you ever need it, the backup copy will automatically move itself from flash to RAM.
You don’t need to worry about having a backup copy of the FlashPro Setup program in flash. Once your Palm device’s flash is formatted, you no longer need this utility on your Palm unit.
.H1 Conclusion
I highly recommend FlashPro to any Palm III, Palm IIIx, or Palm V user who wants to maximize memory at a minimum price, or wants peace of mind available by backing up critical data into non-volatile memory.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
TRG’s Web site is located at http://www.trgnet.com.
You can buy FlashPro from PilotGear at http://www.pilotgear.com.
Information on the Symbol SPT 1500 can be found at http://www.symbol.com/pilot.
The compatibility list is at http://www.asynccomputing.com/pilot/trg/compatibilityListing/index.htm.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
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