APPNOTE: Installing PmScreen on a Personal Digital Assistant

Article ID: 060201sab
Last Reviewed: July 7, 2023

The information in this article applies to:

Target Audience

This article is aimed at:

  • All Users of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) with the PM1000, PM2000 or PM7000.

Summary

The PM1000, PM2000 and PM7000 do not have a built in display. The user interface is displayed remotely either on a personal computer or on a Personal Digital Assistant using a special piece of software called PmScreen.
This application note details the steps required to install PmScreen on your PDA.

Before you start

Check your PDA is running Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 or later ( sometimes referred to as Pocket PC 4.20). To find out which version of Windows Mobile your PDA is running, click on Start-Settings then on the System tab click on About.

Check which PmScreen installation file you have, this is either:
PmScreen.cab which is for installing directly on your PDA.
PmCeSetp.exe which is for installing using ActiveSync.
These files are copied to your computer when Pronto for Windows is installed, you should find them in the same directory as Pronto.exe.

If you are intending to use the PDA with a PM1000 or PM2000

Check your PDA for the presence and location of its infra red interface, the infra red window on your PDA will be a shiny almost black dark red.

Ensure Receive all incoming beams is disabled. You can access this setting on the PDA under Start-Settings on the Connections tab under Beam.

For the PM1000 ensure it is firmware revision 1.009 or later.

For the PM2000 (low speed) ensure it is firmware revision 1.012 or later.

For the PM2000 (high speed with flicker) ensure it is firmware revision 1.103 or later.

If you are intending to use the PDA with a PM7000 (or PM7000 simulator)

Check your PDA for the presence of a Bluetooth wireless interface.

For Windows Mobile 2003 second edition or Windows Mobile 5.0. Ensure that the screen orientation is set to Portrait rather than left or right handed Landscape. You can change the orientation under Start-Settings on the System tab under Screen.

Installing PmScreen on your PDA using ActiveSync

1)   Ensure your PDA is connected to your desktop or laptop computer.
2)   On your desktop or laptop computer double click on the PmCeSetp.exe file.
3)   Follow the instructions on screen.

Installing PmScreen on your PDA directly

Note: The PmScreen.cab file is deleted from your PDA automatically at the end of the installation. This is done to save space on the PDA. You can prevent deletion by setting the file attributes to read only before performing step 2, below.
1)    Copy the PmScreen.cab file to somewhere on your PDA, this could be on a memory card.
2)    On your PDA, use file manager to browse to the location where you saved PmScreen.cab and click on it. This will install PmScreen.

Using PmScreen on your PDA

For the PM1000 and PM2000 see Setting up a PDA for use with the PM1000

For the PM7000 see Connecting to a PM7000 with a PDA using a Bluetooth link

For the PM7000 simulator see Using a PM7000 Simulator with a PDA over a Bluetooth link

Removing (uninstalling) PmScreen from your PDA using ActiveSync

1)    With the PDA connected to your Desktop or Laptop computer open ActiveSync and from the TOOLS menu, select ADD / REMOVE PROGRAMS.
2)     A list of the programs present on your PDA appears. Set the checkmark next to Outram Research PmScreen and click OK.

Removing (uninstalling) PmScreen from your PDA directly

1)    On your PDA click on Start and then Settings.
2)    Select the System tab, then click on Remove Programs.
3)     A list of the programs present on your PDA appears. Click on Outram Research PmScreen and click Remove.

Common issues when installing PmScreen on a PDA

On Windows Mobile 2003 second edition or Windows Mobile 5.0, during the installation process the PDA presents the following message:
    The Program you have installed may not display properly because it was designed for a previous version of Windows Mobile Software.
This message can be ignored, PmScreen has been tested and runs correctly on Windows Mobile 2003 second edition and Windows Mobile 5.0 (provided that, for the PM7000, the screen orientation is set to Portrait as described in the checklist above).

See also: APPNOTE: Setting up the backlight on a PDA for use with PmScreen.