PiDirectII questions

[buckethead]

After reading tanker's review on the proggy, i'm thinking of installing it on my SJ30. But i've heard some comments that it can cause your device to crash; fatal bugs, conflicts with certain apps, etc.

So, can any of you experience users of PD2 tell me of the do's and dont's of using it. Thanx!

[ronlisag]

Hi,
Ive been using PiDirect II for a few weeks now on a T625C with no problems. Just make sure that you use the file manager to move only databases that are read only. The unregistered version limits the number of databases you can move. If you have lots of apps with read only dbases it may make sense to register it.

I use Powerrun to move apps that have read/write databases to the MS. It moves the apps and the databases. The combination of these two apps hasn't given me any probs.

I also use Zlauncher and about 10 hacks and 6 DAs and haven't had any crashes.

Ron

[yorrick]

You can evaluate PiDirectII as shareware. It will limit the number of folders and files that can be run from PiDirect (about 10 files in each folder - which is more than enough to get a good impression of it).

As for crashes, I run PiDirect and interacts without any issues with:
1) 20 hacks
2) 12 Das
3) 5 memory resident programs (not quite a hack) such as TealLock, Shield, Jot, WordComplete and Switchdash

You get the occasional crashes (soft resets, not hard), but that is if I'm messing around with a lot of lower level stuff like hacks and JackFlash etc!

The usual "defensive software use" applies - backup your CLIE before running these programs.

[MadBob]

I find this util to be fairly useless, it will not backup the whole system, which is what I want from a Total backup solution,

I'll explain, I have truncated my ROM using JackSprat and I want a backup that will also copy everything in the Flash ROM and RAM to MS, then I can have several different setups for Work Holiday Home etc. and I could simply restore the backup that is setup perfectly for each given situation,

I have yet to come across a utility that lets me save everything.

[DanT]

PD2 puts apps and/or their database in MS, so no need to backup to MS. If you want to have a backup in PC, just use MSImport, drag & drop the files from MS to your PC's harddrive.

To avoid potential conflict with MSbackup, I put PD2 in FlashROM so it wont be seen by MSBackup. One other advantage of putting it in FlashROM is a hard reset would delete it, so backing up PD2 is no longer necessary.

One problem I have with it is crashing the HotSync if it is enabled (eventhough I set PD2 menu, preferences, options to disable during HotSync). Therefore most of the time it will be disabled. It will be enabled only when I want to use it which I only use it for reading memory hogging maps from StreetFinders (RandMcNally's)

[tanker_bob]

Thanks for reading my review. :) I run PDII 2.0 with 12 Hacks and 1 DA with ZLauncher and JackSprat/Flash with no problems on my T665C. I think that the key are the correct preference settings in PDII. I check 'Disable during HotSync' and uncheck 'Set card database as read-only'. Those two settings will prevent 95% of all the PDII problems of which I've ever heard.

PDII 2.2 had problems interacting with SwitchDash 0.44. PiTech never answered that problem satisfactorily, so I reverted to 2.0 with which I've had no problems.