WIN CE - Help and information required
nosey
He has a small 'notebook' type laptop which we believe had Win CE loaded on
it (not sure what version)
For some unknown reason, the HD (all 2 gig of it!) has been erased along
with, of course, the OS?...
My questions are......
Can a version of this OS be obtained from anywhere? (I asked him if there
was a code stuck to the laptop as is normal for laptops with
preloaded/embedded software but there isn't one)
If it's not possible to get this particular OS, is there an alternative??
The laptop/notebook was purchased from Ebay and the original seller has
offered to load OS again at a charge of £30 so I guess there must be
something WE can do.
Many thanks all
Kevin
PS - I think the notebook lacks a CD drive.....will confirm this ASAP
As you can guess, I'm not at all familiar with the working of this OS so any
help that would get the laptop working again is greatly appreciated
r_z_...@pen_fact.com
<thisis...@outerspace.com> wrote:
>I'm searching for some help and advice on behalf of a friend of mine...
>
>
>
>He has a small 'notebook' type laptop which we believe had Win CE loaded on
>it (not sure what version)
If you give us info about the device (manufacturer, model, etc.), some
of us might know or be able to find much more information.
Your description suggests the device is running a version of Windows
CE customized by the OEM (original equipment manufacturer), rather
than a PDA or phone running a version mostly customized by Microsoft
(e.g. Pocket PC). I'm mostly familiar with the latter, so some of my
ideas might be wrong.
>
>For some unknown reason, the HD (all 2 gig of it!) has been erased along
>with, of course, the OS?...
>
>My questions are......
>
>Can a version of this OS be obtained from anywhere? (I asked him if there
>was a code stuck to the laptop as is normal for laptops with
>preloaded/embedded software but there isn't one)
Windows CE is never available as a separate retail product. So no way
to obtain a legal copy other than preloaded in a device. Unless you
can get a copy from the OEM.
>
>If it's not possible to get this particular OS, is there an alternative??
It's usually loaded in the device ROM (read only memory), and thus not
erased by much. A reset might be sufficient to reload the OS.
1) Look for a small hole marked "reset", that the device's stylus can
just fit into. Try poking the hole with the stylus; you should feel a
little "give" when you poke. If you're lucky, the device will start up
and you'll be set. This would actually be a "soft" reset, which is
similar to shutting down and restarting a desktop PC, so you might
even have kept whatever data your friend had stored.
2) If you manage to find the reset button, but that doesn't work, you
can try a "hard" reset. This usually involves some "magical"
combination of pressing on/off button, some other button, and/or the
reset button.
>
>The laptop/notebook was purchased from Ebay and the original seller has
>offered to load OS again at a charge of £30 so I guess there must be
>something WE can do.
Doesn't sound like any Windows CE device I've encountered.
>
>Many thanks all
>
>Kevin
>PS - I think the notebook lacks a CD drive.....will confirm this ASAP
>
>As you can guess, I'm not at all familiar with the working of this OS so any
>help that would get the laptop working again is greatly appreciated
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Robert E. Zaret
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nosey
I have finally got my hands on the machine itself. It had a flat battery and
there was a long search for the power supply
but now I have more information.
It's listed as an EPC series 7 with a IXBurst 400 Mhz 32Bit CPU
It powered up ok and showed the desktop, My Computer & Recycle Bin. Doing
some searching on the C drive I discovered that there are several folders
still present including the Windows folder
which seems to have all necessary files. What it does not have is all the
programs one would expect such as Internet Explorer etc, in fact, it doesn't
have any programs installed.
There is an SD socket but no card is present which, according to my friend,
WAS present at purchase. It is suspected that the SD card has been stolen.
The netbook suddenly stopped working following
the 'suspect' using the laptop.
Over to you - What can now be done.
Many thanks.
Reply direct to kevinchanc...@btinternet.com
<r_z_aret@pen_fact.com> wrote in message
news:hriat69rhuf7ihtsh...@4ax.com...
Woody
> It powered up ok and showed the desktop, My Computer & Recycle Bin. Doing
> some searching on the C drive I discovered that there are several folders
> still present including the Windows folder
> which seems to have all necessary files. What it does not have is all the
> programs one would expect such as Internet Explorer etc, in fact, it doesn't
> have any programs installed.
>
> There is an SD socket but no card is present which, according to my friend,
> WAS present at purchase. It is suspected that the SD card has been stolen.
> The netbook suddenly stopped working following
> the 'suspect' using the laptop.
>
> Over to you - What can now be done.
>
> Many thanks.
>
I think I know what you've got -- I have a similar one also from EPC
though the processor might be different.
I recommend you look at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/sylvania_netbook/.
This group is devoted to a similar device, Sylvania branded, available
through some retailers in the U.S. They have a wealth of software
available for free download, including various Web browsers and media
players. They also have an OS image available, with instructions on
installation (you have to do it just right). The group administrator
is very helpful.
I also additionally installed Softmaker Office on mine, a fully MS-
Office compatible WP / Spreadsheet / Presentation suite. But that's
kind of overkill. WordPad or PocketWord is probably all you need.
Woody Colahan
r_z_...@pen_fact.com
<thisis...@outerspace.com> wrote:
>Thank you for your first reply.
>
>I have finally got my hands on the machine itself. It had a flat battery and
>there was a long search for the power supply
>but now I have more information.
>
>It's listed as an EPC series 7 with a IXBurst 400 Mhz 32Bit CPU
Definitely not my expertise, so I won't be able to help much. Woody
seems to have good info and leads.
For the Windows CE devices I know, the operating system is in ROM and
thus safe from most tampering. The files _seem_ to be in a Windows
folder in main memory, but that's just some "slight-of-hand".