Windows CE Meets Window NT

Here's the how-to that the documentation doesn't provide

You've probably heard a lot about Windows Consumer Electronics (Windows CE),Microsoft's entry into the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) market. With strongthird-party support for Windows CE (90 companies have announced products) andbig-name OEMs such as Casio, Compaq, HP, Hitachi, LG Electronics, NEC, andPhilips, Microsoft is sure to be a major force in the burgeoning PDAmarketplace.

Learning about such Windows CE and the configuration of a Windows CE PDA isall well and good, and I'll give you some overview information. But because thisis Window NT Magazine, I'm more interested in showing you how to make aWindows CE machine work with Windows NT 4.0.

Overview
The unit I learned on is the Compaq PC Companion, with 4MB of RAM, a 480*240 back lit display (monochrome), and a PC Card slot. The Power Pack optioncomes with Quick Connect, AC adapter, NiMH battery pack, and battery charger for$95, and the Convenience Cradle for desktop use for $35.

The PC Companion comes with a mountain of software. Table 1 lists thesoftware in the bundle and some third-party software for Windows CE.

OK, Enough with the Overview
With Windows CE, Microsoft bundles Handheld PC Explorer (HPC Explorer)Information Management Software. Naturally, Windows CE works well with Windows95, but if you want to use Windows CE with Windows NT, you are relegated to thespecial "technology preview" version of HPC Explorer.

You start by inserting your Windows CE CD-ROM into your NT machine. If youare running NT 4.0 and haven't turned off the autorun CD function, up comes adialog box that says something like, "You're running NT! We don't supportit, but we have an unofficial technology preview that will work. If you haveproblems don't call."

When Windows CE finishes installing, you need to configure Remote AccessService (RAS) to make Windows CE work. Seems Windows CE calls your NT machinevia RAS.

If you have a RAS device already configured, save the configuration anddelete the device. This action will save you countless hours of frustration. Youwill reinstall it later.

A couple of pre-requisites: You must be running NT 4.0 final release (nobeta stuff). I ran 1381 Service Pack 1 for this configuration. You must also runMicrosoft Schedule+ 7.01 for Windows NT, and it must be installed to synchronizewith the information manager on your PDA.

Let me detail the process of installing Windows CE. I derived much of thisprocess from the read_nt file on the Windows CE CD-ROM, and I have clarified andadded some steps to add functionality. I've divided the process into threephases.

Phase 1
1. Open Control Panel, and double-click the Network icon.

2. Select the Service tab. If RAS is installed, skip to step 7.

3. If RAS is not installed, install RAS

4. Press Add, select Remote Access Service, and click OK

5. Type the location of your setup files in the dialog box, then clickContinue.

6. Click Yes to complete the installation. If you don't have any COM portsinstalled, skip to step 9. Otherwise, proceed to step 7.

7. Select Remote Access Service from the Network services list, and selectProperties.

8. Remove COM ports that have been previously configured. This step isimportant because this version of HPC Explorer can get confused if you leaveyour COM ports installed. Adding them back in is much easier than dealing withthe results if you don't take them out (the Microsoft documentation doesn't evenrecommend doing that!).

9. Click Add, then Install modem.

10. Check Don't detect my modem; I will select it from a list, asyou seen Screen 1. Click Next.

11. You'll see two windows: Manufacturers is on the left, and Models is onthe right, as Screen 2 shows. In the Manufacturers list, select Standard ModemTypes. In the Models list, select Dial-Up Networking Serial Cable between 2PCs. Click Next.

12. Click Selected ports, choose the COM port to connect your PDA, and clickNext.

13. Enter anything (e.g., 800) if you are prompted for an area code, thenclick Finish.

That action completes the first portion of installation. Now you're readyfor Phase 2, the RAS part of installation.

Phase 2
1. Select the port to connect to your HPC, and press OK.

2. In the Remote Access Setup dialog box, select the port for your PDA, andchoose Configure. (Remember you might already have had a port installed anddeleted it, and then reinstalled something different.)

3. Choose Receive calls only, and click OK.

4. Choose the Remote Access Setup dialog box, and then Network.

5. Choose Server Settings, and make sure that TCP/IP is the only boxchecked.

6. Click Configure for TCP/IP, and check This computer only.Then you see the RAS Server TCP/IP Configuration dialog box depicted in Screen 3.

7. Choose Use static address pool, and enter 192.168.55.100 in theBegin dialog box and 192.168.55.105 in the End dialog box. (Microsoft specifiesthese parameters. In the final static address pool in Screen 3, notice that Ineeded to add 10 to the number of allocated IP addresses.)

8. Make sure that Allow remote clients to request a predetermined IPaddress is not checked. This software requires a certain range of IPaddresses.

9. Click OK, then Close. If you are prompted for Microsoft TCP/IPproperties, click OK.

10. Reboot when prompted.

With this phase complete, you can go into the depths of the Registry tofinish. On to Phase 3.

Phase 3
What technology preview is complete without some Registry spelunking? Addthe following value to your Registry to disable the default disconnect after 20minutes. Otherwise, while your PDA sits idle waiting for the next address to beentered or for another action, RAS disconnects and you must continuallyre-establish connections.

Hive:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

Key:SystemCurrentControlSetServicesRemoteAccessParameters

Add the following value under the Parameters key:

Value Name:Autodisconnect

Value Type:REG_DWORD

Data:0

Attach one end of your serial cable to the PDA and the other end to the NTmachine. You will see a prompt for Username. Enter a Guest password, press Enterand a domain, and press Enter again. The Setup New Partner wizard will completethe installation by preparing your NT and CE machines for synchronization.

If you had a RAS device installed and deleted it, follow the installationinstructions for adding a new RAS device (Phase 1, steps 6 through 10). An errormessage will say you don't have enough static pool entries. You need to expandthe range (Phase 2, steps 4 through 7). Change the value in the End box from192.168.55.105 to 192.168.55.115. If you're using real connections and happen touse those particular IP addresses, you'll have trouble. But if you don't usethose addresses, this solution works well. I use it successfully with both ourLAN connection and also with RAS dialup. Finish configuring your dialup modemdevice, and use it like any RAS device.

Troubleshooting
When I use my PDA with NT, I've had a couple of problems. Luckily, I havefound workarounds for them, too.

When you boot your NT machine, your PDA tries to establish a connectionbefore the boot process is complete. An error message appears on the PDA. Ignoreit. Press Cancel, and wait for the NT machine to finish booting. You canestablish a connection from your PDA to the NT machine by selecting the PC Linkicon, under the ProgramsCommunications folder from the start menu.

Sometimes, connecting to the NT machine from the HPC machine is difficult.It generally takes a couple of tries. If you fail the first time, try this:Select HPC Explorer application (which you see in Screen 4) from your NTdesktop. Let the process time out and fail, and then select PC link from theHPC. This approach works every time for me. Or, you can change the speed of yourRAS connection (see the read_nt file for the particulars).

If you cannot establish a connection between your PDA and your desktop,make sure to select the user right, Log on locally. (Screen 5 shows thisright granted to Administrators.) You can modify this right from the UserManager applet.

Some Ideas
These steps will get you going with Windows CE and NT. After mytrial-and-error experience with the Compaq PC Companion, Windows CE, and NT, Ihave some thoughts about how this combination compares with the U.S. RoboticsPilot (for more information about that platform, see Mark Smith, "NT StuffWe Like," January 1997, and "U.S. Robotics Pilot," February1997).

The Compaq PC Companion is large. You don't want to just stick it in yourshirt pocket and go. It fits, but if you lean over, the PC Companion tumbles outonto the floor. But this machine runs Windows CE, which is Windows: If you arefamiliar with Microsoft Word, you know Pocket Word. If you know Schedule+, theWindows CE version won't present a problem. So this new hardware and its OS arefar more powerful than my Pilot, and the PC Companion now is in my shirt pocketmore often than my Pilot. Now if Microsoft would just release a real NT versionof the connection software, I would be happy.