Five-Minute Fixes
Rapid relief for balky PCs, stuck Windows, stalled networks, recalcitrant printers, and your other everyday computing hassles.
Kirk Steers
Balm for Your Handheld
Got Juice?
Problem: Your PDA is running out of power, and there's no outlet to charge it.
Quick fix: Extend your PDA's battery life by conserving energy. If it has a monochrome screen, turn down or turn off the backlighting; if it has a color screen, use the dimmest setting you can tolerate. Shorten the idle time before the device automatically shuts down, and configure it to run as few applications as possible; the more running programs, the faster power dissipates. Reduce the frequency of automatic tasks such as checking your e-mail. And a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cell-phone hybrid PDA is constantly scanning for signals, so if you have one, look in its controls or setup options for a way to minimize or completely shut down these functions when the device is not in use.
Slightly cumbersome fix: If your PDA uses removable batteries, carry an extra set. If it uses a rechargeable battery, bring a charger along. Chances are your PDA manufacturer offers portable devices for charging your unit in cars, planes, and other places.
Alternatively, you can use a battery extender to breathe new life into a drained PDA. The $23 Emergency 9-Volt Power Adapter from Belkin takes power from a standard 9-volt battery and runs or recharges your PDA (see FIGURE 9).
Get Yourself Connected
Problem: Sometimes Windows XP doesn't recognize your Pocket PC device when you disconnect the handheld from the USB port and then reconnect it. This also happens when you turn the PDA off and on while it's connected to your PC.
Quick fix: This is a known problem in the Windows XP and 2000 operating systems, but Microsoft provides a fix: A software patch for each version of Windows is available from the Microsoft Download Center.
Your HotSync Has Sunk
Problem: You can't hot-sync your PalmOne PDA.
Quick fix #1: Is the HotSync Manager running on your PC? Also, make sure your PDA cradle's connections are good.
Quick fix #2: A soft reset can fix all kinds of pesky problems. Gently press the reset button inside the hole on the back panel of your device, using an unfolded paper clip or your stylus. You'll have to reset its time and date.
Not-so-quick fix: If a soft reset doesn't handle the problem, try a system reset, an in-cradle reset, a power-down reset--or in the worst case, a hard reset, which erases all data and programs. Click here for more info.
