Windows Mobile Device Center and Serial Port Support Issue

I have serveral PXA255 devices with Windows CE 4.2 installed that can only
use a serial cable (COM1) to connect with ActiveSync in an XP environment.

At one point, the Windows Mobile Device Center suppported this connection
method, but due to some updates, it no longer does.

Does anyone know a way to configure the Windows Mobile Device Center to use
a similar serial cable connection in a Vista environment for these devices?

While serial is not officially supported, you can change the registry value
for "SerialPort" to "COM1" or "COM2" etc. Then reboot the PC and don't
touch the connection settings page after that. You should be able to
connect and browse files.
Its in "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows CE Services"

--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.


"VinceR" <> wrote in message
news:6B8706DD-A33D-4457-AE60-...
>I have serveral PXA255 devices with Windows CE 4.2 installed that can only
> use a serial cable (COM1) to connect with ActiveSync in an XP environment.
>
> At one point, the Windows Mobile Device Center suppported this connection
> method, but due to some updates, it no longer does.
>
> Does anyone know a way to configure the Windows Mobile Device Center to
> use
> a similar serial cable connection in a Vista environment for these
> devices?
>

It Worked. Thanks.

"Gary Waliczek [MSFT]" wrote:

> While serial is not officially supported, you can change the registry value
> for "SerialPort" to "COM1" or "COM2" etc. Then reboot the PC and don't
> touch the connection settings page after that. You should be able to
> connect and browse files.
> Its in "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows CE Services"
>
> --
> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
>
>
> "VinceR" <> wrote in message
> news:6B8706DD-A33D-4457-AE60-...
> >I have serveral PXA255 devices with Windows CE 4.2 installed that can only
> > use a serial cable (COM1) to connect with ActiveSync in an XP environment.
> >
> > At one point, the Windows Mobile Device Center suppported this connection
> > method, but due to some updates, it no longer does.
> >
> > Does anyone know a way to configure the Windows Mobile Device Center to
> > use
> > a similar serial cable connection in a Vista environment for these
> > devices?
> >
>
>
>

Is it possible to do anything similar for USB connections?

Our handheld supplier is still providing new units running on CE 4.2,
which we use and are fine except we can't get them running on Vista as
yet... any help appreciated.

If we can't get ActiveSync (or WMDC) to work with it, is there another way
I get find the IP address of the desktop PC from the CE device so I can do
my own communication, which I can do without ActiveSync (I'm using it just
so I can use the IP address of "ppp_peer")?

Thanks
--
Jeremy Knowles

What failure are you seeing? Does the service with rapimgr running in it
crash? If you don't need sync, 4.2 devices should - in theory - "just work"
for connectivity because they look similar to 2002 WM devices which, while
they are not supported and cannot sync, do connect for file browse.

--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.


"Jeremy Knowles"
<NO_SPAM_jk_REMOVE_@_ALL_soul_BUT_computers_LOWER_ CASE_.co.uk> wrote in
message news:...
> Is it possible to do anything similar for USB connections?
>
> Our handheld supplier is still providing new units running on CE 4.2,
> which we use and are fine except we can't get them running on Vista as
> yet... any help appreciated.
>
> If we can't get ActiveSync (or WMDC) to work with it, is there another way
> I get find the IP address of the desktop PC from the CE device so I can do
> my own communication, which I can do without ActiveSync (I'm using it just
> so I can use the IP address of "ppp_peer")?
>
> Thanks
> --
> Jeremy Knowles

Gary Waliczek [MSFT] wrote:

>What failure are you seeing? Does the service with rapimgr running in it
>crash? If you don't need sync, 4.2 devices should - in theory - "just
>work" for connectivity because they look similar to 2002 WM devices which,
>while they are not supported and cannot sync, do connect for file browse.

When the device is physically connected, the device says connected (and
does the "User Authenticated" bit), but then Vista comes up with a "Host
Process for Windows Services stopped working and was closed" message.
Looking in services, the RapiMgr indeed stopped, as is WcesComm.

If I try to connect using my CF app (just trying to connect using TCP/IP)
to "ppp_peer" then I get "no such host is known", and if I change it to
use the 192.168.55.100 address directly I get "A socket operation was
attempted to an unreachable host"


Any advice appreciated, even if it is a statement from anyone in the know
that some support for these devices is likely to appear in a later update
- after all, our hand-held supplier is still selling devices running CE
4.2, so there's going to be a big problem for them if Microsoft won't
support this OS in their latest desktop OS. We'd be happy if simply
removing WMDC and installing the existing ActiveSync worked, but it
doesn't...

--
Jeremy Knowles

Can you open the "Problem Reports and Solutions" app in Vista, find this
issue in the list and post the Bucket number for the issue? I think this
may be an issue I already have a fix for, but with the bucket number I can
make sure I get a fix for your problem into a future update to WMDC.

--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.


"Jeremy Knowles"
<NO_SPAM_jk_REMOVE_@_ALL_soul_BUT_computers_LOWER_ CASE_.co.uk> wrote in
message news:...
> Gary Waliczek [MSFT] wrote:
>
>>What failure are you seeing? Does the service with rapimgr running in it
>>crash? If you don't need sync, 4.2 devices should - in theory - "just
>>work" for connectivity because they look similar to 2002 WM devices which,
>>while they are not supported and cannot sync, do connect for file browse.
>
> When the device is physically connected, the device says connected (and
> does the "User Authenticated" bit), but then Vista comes up with a "Host
> Process for Windows Services stopped working and was closed" message.
> Looking in services, the RapiMgr indeed stopped, as is WcesComm.
>
> If I try to connect using my CF app (just trying to connect using TCP/IP)
> to "ppp_peer" then I get "no such host is known", and if I change it to
> use the 192.168.55.100 address directly I get "A socket operation was
> attempted to an unreachable host"
>
>
> Any advice appreciated, even if it is a statement from anyone in the know
> that some support for these devices is likely to appear in a later
> update - after all, our hand-held supplier is still selling devices
> running CE 4.2, so there's going to be a big problem for them if Microsoft
> won't support this OS in their latest desktop OS. We'd be happy if simply
> removing WMDC and installing the existing ActiveSync worked, but it
> doesn't...
>
> --
> Jeremy Knowles

Gary Waliczek [MSFT] wrote:

>Can you open the "Problem Reports and Solutions" app in Vista, find this
>issue in the list and post the Bucket number for the issue? I think this
>may be an issue I already have a fix for, but with the bucket number I can
>make sure I get a fix for your problem into a future update to WMDC.


Mmm, there was only a bucket number on one of them (377011862), and there
were slightly different reports in there, all shown below (and some sent
at the time using the send report thing). Is this enough information? I'm
happy to try anything to help resolve this.


Jeremy

--
Product
Windows Mobile 2003-based device connectivity

Problem
Stopped working

Date
15/02/2007 09:20

Status
Report Sent

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: svchost.exe_WcesComm
Application Version: 6.0.6000.16386
Application Timestamp: 4549adc4
Fault Module Name: wcescomm.dll
Fault Module Version: 6.0.6783.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 45b7b245
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 0000460e
OS Version: 6.0.6000.2.0.0.256.6
Locale ID: 2057
Additional Information 1: 2612
Additional Information 2: de23e3506bf2b91a8a0ef1291d84af2a
Additional Information 3: e942
Additional Information 4: 42d64c948bf96e8c1986b102f0fd5a0c

Extra information about the problem
Bucket ID: 377011862
---------------------------------------------------------------

Product
Host Process for Windows Services

Problem
Stopped working

Date
26/02/2007 19:14

Status
Not Reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: svchost.exe
Application Version: 6.0.6000.16386
Application Timestamp: 4549adc4
Fault Module Name: ntdll.dll
Fault Module Version: 6.0.6000.16386
Fault Module Timestamp: 4549bdc9
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 0006a606
OS Version: 6.0.6000.2.0.0.256.6
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: bfef
Additional Information 2: e8adce1c2b9e7be834b4063ac3c53863
Additional Information 3: bfef
Additional Information 4: e8adce1c2b9e7be834b4063ac3c53863

Files that help describe the problem
Version.txt
AppCompat.txt
memory.hdmp
minidump.mdmp

---------------------------------------------------------------

Product
Windows Mobile 2003-based device connectivity

Problem
Stopped working

Date
26/02/2007 12:02

Status
Not Reported

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: svchost.exe_WcesComm
Application Version: 6.0.6000.16386
Application Timestamp: 4549adc4
Fault Module Name: wcescomm.dll
Fault Module Version: 6.0.6783.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 45b7b245
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 0000460e
OS Version: 6.0.6000.2.0.0.256.6
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 2612
Additional Information 2: de23e3506bf2b91a8a0ef1291d84af2a
Additional Information 3: e942
Additional Information 4: 42d64c948bf96e8c1986b102f0fd5a0c

Files that help describe the problem
Version.txt
AppCompat.txt
memory.hdmp
minidump.mdmp

That's perfect and it initially looks like a new issue. I'll follow up here
if there is a workaround for you other than waiting for an updated version
of WMDC.

Thanks,
Gary Waliczek [MSFT]

--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.


"Jeremy Knowles"
<NO_SPAM_jk_REMOVE_@_ALL_soul_BUT_computers_LOWER_ CASE_.co.uk> wrote in
message news:...
> Gary Waliczek [MSFT] wrote:
>
>>Can you open the "Problem Reports and Solutions" app in Vista, find this
>>issue in the list and post the Bucket number for the issue? I think this
>>may be an issue I already have a fix for, but with the bucket number I can
>>make sure I get a fix for your problem into a future update to WMDC.
>
>
> Mmm, there was only a bucket number on one of them (377011862), and there
> were slightly different reports in there, all shown below (and some sent
> at the time using the send report thing). Is this enough information? I'm
> happy to try anything to help resolve this.
>
>
> Jeremy
>
> --
> Product
> Windows Mobile 2003-based device connectivity
>
> Problem
> Stopped working
>
> Date
> 15/02/2007 09:20
>
> Status
> Report Sent
>
> Problem signature
> Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
> Application Name: svchost.exe_WcesComm
> Application Version: 6.0.6000.16386
> Application Timestamp: 4549adc4
> Fault Module Name: wcescomm.dll
> Fault Module Version: 6.0.6783.0
> Fault Module Timestamp: 45b7b245
> Exception Code: c0000005
> Exception Offset: 0000460e
> OS Version: 6.0.6000.2.0.0.256.6
> Locale ID: 2057
> Additional Information 1: 2612
> Additional Information 2: de23e3506bf2b91a8a0ef1291d84af2a
> Additional Information 3: e942
> Additional Information 4: 42d64c948bf96e8c1986b102f0fd5a0c
>
> Extra information about the problem
> Bucket ID: 377011862
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Product
> Host Process for Windows Services
>
> Problem
> Stopped working
>
> Date
> 26/02/2007 19:14
>
> Status
> Not Reported
>
> Problem signature
> Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
> Application Name: svchost.exe
> Application Version: 6.0.6000.16386
> Application Timestamp: 4549adc4
> Fault Module Name: ntdll.dll
> Fault Module Version: 6.0.6000.16386
> Fault Module Timestamp: 4549bdc9
> Exception Code: c0000005
> Exception Offset: 0006a606
> OS Version: 6.0.6000.2.0.0.256.6
> Locale ID: 1033
> Additional Information 1: bfef
> Additional Information 2: e8adce1c2b9e7be834b4063ac3c53863
> Additional Information 3: bfef
> Additional Information 4: e8adce1c2b9e7be834b4063ac3c53863
>
> Files that help describe the problem
> Version.txt
> AppCompat.txt
> memory.hdmp
> minidump.mdmp
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Product
> Windows Mobile 2003-based device connectivity
>
> Problem
> Stopped working
>
> Date
> 26/02/2007 12:02
>
> Status
> Not Reported
>
> Problem signature
> Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
> Application Name: svchost.exe_WcesComm
> Application Version: 6.0.6000.16386
> Application Timestamp: 4549adc4
> Fault Module Name: wcescomm.dll
> Fault Module Version: 6.0.6783.0
> Fault Module Timestamp: 45b7b245
> Exception Code: c0000005
> Exception Offset: 0000460e
> OS Version: 6.0.6000.2.0.0.256.6
> Locale ID: 1033
> Additional Information 1: 2612
> Additional Information 2: de23e3506bf2b91a8a0ef1291d84af2a
> Additional Information 3: e942
> Additional Information 4: 42d64c948bf96e8c1986b102f0fd5a0c
>
> Files that help describe the problem
> Version.txt
> AppCompat.txt
> memory.hdmp
> minidump.mdmp

Gary Waliczek [MSFT] wrote:

>That's perfect and it initially looks like a new issue. I'll follow up
>here if there is a workaround for you other than waiting for an updated
>version of WMDC.

Thanks. Meanwhile we are installing Vista on a completely different
computer to try again on there, to see if we can get the same results with
the device on another PC so I'll let you know what happens on that.

--
Jeremy Knowles