Microsoft Windows CE Resource Kit

Appendix

Contents

Resources for further study, including White papers of interest to enterprise customers

Desktop PC System Requirements for Windows CE Services version 2.2

World Wide English and Western European Versions for H/PC Devices

Minimum Desktop Computer Requirements

  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 or Windows 95/98

  • Desktop computer with a Pentium processor for Windows NT.

  • Desktop computer with a 486/66 DX or higher processor (Pentium P90 recommended) for Windows 95/98

  • 16 MB of memory for Windows 95/98 (More memory will give improved performance) or Windows NT Workstation 4. (32 MB recommended for Windows NT)

  • Hard disk drive with 10 to 50 MB of available hard disk space (actual requirements will vary based on selection of features and user's current system configuration)

  • Available 9 or 25 pin communications port (adapter required for 25 pin communication port)

  • One CD-ROM drive **

  • VGA or higher-resolution graphics card (Super VGA 256-color recommended)

  • Keyboard

  • Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

Options for either Windows NT Workstation 4.0 or Windows 95/98:

  • Audio card/speakers for sound

  • Microsoft Office 97 or Microsoft Office 95

  • Serial or built-in infrared adapter for synchronization

  • Modem for remote synchronization

  • Ethernet LAN connection for remote synchronization

** 3.5" high-density diskettes provided on request. If your desktop computer system does not have a CD-ROM drive, you can order an optional diskette version by mail.

World Wide English and Western European Versions for Palm-size PC Devices

Minimum Desktop Computer Requirements

  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 or Windows 95/98

  • Desktop computer with a Pentium processor for Windows NT.

  • Desktop computer with a 486/66DX or higher processor (Pentium P90 recommended) for Windows 95/98

  • 16 MB of memory for Windows 95/98 (More memory will give improved performance) or Windows NT Workstation 4. (32 MB recommended for Windows NT)

  • Hard disk drive with 10 to 50 MB of available hard disk space (actual requirements will vary based on selection of features and user's current system configuration)

  • Available 9 or 25 pin communications port (adapter required for 25 pin communication port)

  • One CD-ROM drive **

  • VGA or higher-resolution graphics card (Super VGA 256-color recommended)

  • Keyboard

  • Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

Options for either Windows NT Workstation 4.0 or Windows 95/98:

  • Audio card/speakers for sound

  • Microsoft Office 97 or Microsoft Office 95

  • Serial or built-in infrared adapter for synchronization

  • Modem for remote synchronization

  • Ethernet LAN connection for remote synchronization

Requirements for Mobile Channels Support

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 (included on CD), which requires 40 MB – 70 MB of hard disk space and a minimum 486/66 processor. Service Pack 3 (or higher) required for Windows NT-based systems (included on CD).

** 3.5" high-density diskettes provided on request. If your desktop computer system does not have a CD-ROM drive, you can order an optional diskette version by mail.

Japanese Version for H/PC Devices

Minimum Desktop Computer Requirements

  • Japanese version of Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 or Windows 95/98

  • Desktop computer with a Pentium processor for Windows NT.

  • Desktop computer with a 486/66DX or higher processor (Pentium P90 recommended) for Windows 95/98

  • 16 MB of memory for Windows 95/98 (More memory will give improved performance) or Windows NT Workstation 4. (32 MB recommended for Windows NT)

  • Hard disk drive with 10 to 50 MB of available hard disk space (actual requirements will vary based on selection of features and user's current system configuration)

  • Available 9 or 25 pin communications port (adapter required for 25 pin communication port)

  • One CD-ROM drive **

  • VGA or higher-resolution graphics card (Super VGA 256-color recommended)

    Keyboard

  • Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

Options for either Windows NT Workstation 4.0 or Windows 95/98:

  • Audio card/speakers for sound

  • Microsoft Office 97 or Microsoft Office 95

  • Serial or built-in infrared adapter for synchronization

  • Modem for remote synchronization

  • Ethernet LAN connection for remote synchronization

** 3.5" high-density diskettes provided on request. If your desktop computer system does not have a CD-ROM drive, you can order an optional diskette version by mail.

Windows CE Services Adaptation Kit

Corporate customers require an unattended installation capability in Microsoft Windows CE Services setup. When a large number of PC Companion devices are being deploying in an organization, having each end user install the synchronization software on their desktop PC can be a complex, time-consuming task. The Windows CE Services Adaptation Kit makes it possible for an IT group to create custom unattended installation scripts for Windows CE Services controlled by and deployed through a system management tool like Systems Management Server.

Note: any first-time installation of Windows CE Services on a desktop PC will reset the communication speed (baud rate) to 19.2 Kbits/sec. If the PC Companion device communication speed is not left at its factory setting, 19.2 Kbits/sec, the initial attempt create a partnership will fail. The initial partnership can be created at higher communication speeds as long as both devices are set to the same speed. To change the communication speed of a serial port on a desktop PC, see the details at the end of this section.

How to use the Windows CE Services Adaptation Kit

Windows CE Services Unattended Installation

Overview

InstallShield3 provides unattended installation functionality via an "ISS response file", which resembles a Win32 INI file (containing individual sections with key/value tuples) that holds the "answers" to all setup dialog "questions".

Minimum Requirements/Limitations

Unattended installation can only succeed if the ISS response file includes appropriate responses (in the correct order) to every dialog that appears during setup. The best way to maximize the chances of a successful unattended installation, therefore, is to ensure that the target system conforms as closely as possible to one of our supported configurations.

We have developed a set of minimum requirements which will allow Windows CE Services 2.2 to be installed unattended. We have also outlined some specific setup limitations of our unattended installation. The minimum requirements and specific limitations are given below:

General:

Windows NT 4.0:

  • SP3 (or greater), Windows Networking and TCP/IP must already be installed.

  • The Systems Management Server package must include the version of SP3 that is located on the WCES 2.2 CD-ROM.

  • For systems with SP4 installed, the SP4 files must also be available on the network share and the path must be specified in the appropriate ISS response files.

  • No remote front-ends (such as Shiva) that replace RAS system DLLs can be currently installed on the target system.

  • If RAS is already installed on the target system, but is configured without any dial-in ports, then it must be uninstalled prior to running Windows CE Services unattended installation.

  • VPN/PPTP may need to be reinstalled on users machine after Windows CE Services unattended install completes.

  • An initial username/password (used to create a local user account on the target machine) must be supplied in the ISS response file–otherwise the user must dial-in to RAS via domain authentication.

Windows 9x:

  • The target system must have RNA, TCP/IP, and DUN/DCC (1.1, 1.2 or 1.3) already installed.

  • SMS 1.2 with the SMS Service Pack 3 requires that a user be logged on the machine before it can perform the unattended installation.

Unattended installation Instructions

  1. Ensure that the minimum system requirements are met.

  2. Copy the files specified in the "Required Files" section to a machine that can be accessed by SMS, maintaining the directory structure.

  3. Modify the ISS response file templates as required/desired. All the ISS files must be included in the same directory as the unattend.exe file.

  4. Create an SMS package consisting of the files in the "Required Files" section. Configure the SMS package to invoke unattend.exe on the target machine.

  5. Use SMS to transfer the SMS package to the target machine. The target machine must be restarted after the WCES unattended install completes.

  6. The WCES unattended installation will create an SMS status file (called WCES.MIF), which can be used to determine if setup completed successfully. The WCES.MIF file will specify the log file to view if setup failed.

Required Files

The following files (from the Windows CE Services CD-ROM and this WCES Unattended Installation package) are required for unattended installation of WCES. The Windows NT Service Pack 3 files must be from the WCES CD-ROM, and the directory structure must be maintained. Note that the "Windows CE Services" directory is renamed to a short directory name, so that the created SMS package will install correctly on machines running Windows 9x.

\wces\unattend.exe
\wces\iss.win.clean
\wces\iss.win.upgrade
\wces\iss.nt.clean
\wces\iss.nt.upgrade
\wces\iss.nt.sp4.clean
\wces\iss.nt.sp4.upgrade

\wces\_inst32i.ex_
\wces\_isdel.exe
\wces\_setup.dll
\wces\_setup.lib
\wces\data.z
\wces\setup.exe
\wces\setup.ins
\wces\setup.pkg

\Optional Components\Microsoft Windows NT Service Pack 3\i386\*.*

ISS Response File

The ISS response files follow the general layout of INI files. Any line that begins with a semi-colon is a comment line. There are currently six ISS response files. Each supported platform has two ISS files, one for a clean installation (no previous or current version of WCES exists on the target system), and one for an upgrade from a previous Windows CE Services installation. The ISS files have been given names that relate to their intended target platform.

Each ISS file includes comments that specify which sections of the file may be modified to customize WCES installation, as well as suggestions about possible values. Only those sections so marked should be modified. Each ISS files that will be used for setting up WCES should be modified in the same manner (for instance, changing the install directory should be the same for all the ISS files). The modified ISS files must be in the same directory as the unattend.exe file.

Sample installshield script(s) for unattended installation

Important note: IT administrators planning to deploy Windows CE Services using unattended installation must use the specific installshield script (ISS) files provided. You may modify the areas within the scripts files where indicated by comments permitting modification; however, all six ISS files must be included. Microsoft Product Support Services will not support customers who attempt to modify sections of the ISS files in restricted portions of the files.

Sample registry settings to configure the synchronization settings

Resetting the communication speed (baud rate) on a desktop PC

The way to determine the assigned COM port for the PC Companion device is to open the Mobile Devices folder (icon is on the desktop), select the File pull down menu and Communications. The dialog box will contain the current COM port assigned for serial communication.

If you are using Windows NT:

  1. On your desktop computer, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

  2. Double-click the Modems icon.

  3. Select an entry named Dial-Up Networking Serial Cable between 2 PCs, and then click Properties.

  4. Set the Maximum speed to the same rate you specified on your mobile device, and then click OK.

  5. Repeat steps c and d for each Dial-Up Networking Serial Cable between 2 PCs entry.

If you are using Windows 95:

  1. On your desktop computer, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click the System icon.

  2. Click the Device Manager tab, double-click Modem, and then select the COM port that is connected to your mobile device.

  3. Click Properties, click the Modem tab, and then under Maximum Speed select the same rate that you specified on your device.

If you are using Windows 98:

  1. On your desktop computer, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click the System icon.

  2. Click the Device Manager tab, and select View devices by type.

  3. Click the plus sign by Modem.

  4. Select the COM port you are using to connect your device to your computer, and click Properties.

  5. Click the Modem tab, and, from the Maximum Speed list, select the same rate that you specified on your device.

Then, after the steps above are complete, for all operating systems:

  • Close all desktop programs and restart your desktop computer.

  • Open the Mobile Devices folder and reconnect the mobile device cable.

Note: If your desktop computer supports a speed higher than 19.2 Kbits/sec, it is likely that 38.4 Kbits/sec will give you the best performance. However, setting the rate higher than 38.4 may slow down, rather than speed up, overall data transfer speed. You should experiment with different rates to determine the optimal setting for your desktop computer and usage patterns.

If you have problems with this process of making a PC Companion device communicate with a desktop PC, please follow the detailed instructions in the Communications Troubleshooter under the Help pull down menu in the Mobile Devices folder. For example, in certain cases you may need to make additional changes to the networking settings on a Windows NT-based computer to enable serial synchronization.

Other enterprise tools

  1. A description of the Inbox repair tool (for desktop .PST files) and instructions

  2. The Windows CE desktop file converter PowerToy

  3. Pocket Internet Explorer and Outlook Web Access (unsupported .ASP for Outlook Web Access)

  4. List of ISPs and settings for Inbox and Pocket Internet Explorer