An old saying states that one cannot be too subtle or too rich. When it comes to iPAQ, it can be said that you can’t have too much memory. Your iPAQ differs in a very fundamental way from the desktop PC: the iPAQ must store all programs and data in memory at any time. The desktop PC, on the other hand, can put unused stuff on a disk somewhere until it is needed.
This difference between the iPAQ and the desktop PC is important. It means that you cannot simply add new programs whenever you want without making sure you have enough space for them. On a desktop PC with gigabytes of hard drive space, probably too big for your desktop PC long before you need to worry about space. On an iPAQ, free space can be a problem almost as soon as you start adding new programs.
Downloading programs is not necessary
One of the great things about having your desktop PC and your iPAQ as an iPAQ software installation partner is that you can typically remove programs from your iPAQ, yet still available if you decide to reinstall them. And because you may need to download some programs when you want to try out the new iPAQ software, this can be a real lifesaver!
You can download the program from your iPAQ in one of two main ways: Remove them using only your iPAQ or using ActiveSync on the desktop PC. Both methods work, so it’s really up to you to decide which one you prefer. Consider using ActiveSync on your desktop PC because this way the desktop system and your iPAQ always agree on where the programs are installed.
Download programs using ActiveSync
If you want to remove your iPAQ programs by working through ActiveSync on your desktop PC, here is what you need to do:
1. Place the iPAQs in the sync media and open ActiveSync on the desktop PC, if it is not already open.
Of course, if you are using a wireless network connection for your iPAQ, you can skip the part about placing in the sync cradle because the network connection is probably much faster than the USB connection – which means the wireless connection is a better choice to install and remove most programs.
2. Choose Tools -> Add / Remove Programs.
ActiveSync examines your iPAQs to see which programs are currently installed and then displays the Add / Remove Programs dialog (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: You can add or remove programs from iPAQ using ActiveSync on the desktop PC.
3. Remove the check mark from all the programs you want to uninstall from your iPAQ.
You can also add a checkmark to any of the listed programs that you want to install.
Do not click the Remove button – doing so will delete the program from both the iPAQ and the desktop PC.
4. Click OK to make the changes.
Be sure to look at your iPAQ screen to see if you need to do anything else, like resetting the iPAQ.
Using ActiveSync on your desktop PC to remove programs from your iPAQ has another advantage that you may not have considered: By using ActiveSync, you can be sure that you still have the option to reinstall the program if necessary. If you uninstall a program directly on your iPAQ as indicated in the next section, you can remove the programs and not be able to reinstall them without first downloading the installer from the web.
Download programs directly to your iPAQ
If you prefer to work directly on your iPAQ, you can uninstall programs without using your desktop PC – this may be the only choice if you are away from your desk, but you need to download a large file directly to your iPAQ using your Internet. connection.
Here’s how to download programs directly from iPAQ:
1. Tap the Start button on the iPAQ and choose Settings to open the settings screen.
2. Click on the System tab and then tap on the Add / Remove Programs icon to view the list of programs currently installed in the iPAQ storage memory (see figure 2).
Figure 2: Select the programs you want to remove.
3. Select one of the programs you want to uninstall and click the Remove button.
4. Tap OK when you have removed everything you don’t want and you’re done.
You have probably noticed that neither you using ActiveSync on your desktop PC nor using Add or Remove Programs directly on your iPAQ offers the ability to remove all programs on your iPAQ. This is because the basic applications on your iPAQ – things like Pocket Word and Pocket Excel – are permanently loaded into the iPAQ ROM (read-only memory). Even if these items are loaded into permanent memory, you can update them with special software that can modify Flash ROM– a particular type of ROM included in all iPAQ systems specifically for updates can be made if necessary. See the support pages for your iPAQ model on the HP website for information on updates.
Deleting unnecessary files
Of course, programs are not the only files that can consume space in your iPAQ’s memory. It is a safe bet that other unnecessary files are wasting space.
There are several ways to remove unnecessary files from your iPAQ. For example, if you uploaded a bunch of eBooks to the Microsoft Reader library, you can delete those books when you’re done with them using the tap-and-hold method. You then choose Delete from the pop-up menu, and are ejected into the digital nothingness.
You may think that the Find link on the memory settings screen offers a good way to find and delete unnecessary files. If so, you would be half right. Sure, you can use the search tool to locate files, but you can’t delete them when you find them.
A better way to find and delete files is to use File Explorer, shown in Figure 3. Here you can locate and delete files.
Figure 3: Use File Explorer to manage the files on your iPAQ.
To open File Explorer on your iPAQ, click the Start button and choose Programs to open the Programs folder. Then, touch the File Explorer icon.
To view the files sorted by size (or some other sort of sort), touch the sort list just below the time display and choose the type of sort you prefer. In figure 3 the list is sorted by name.
