Upgrading to an NX from T665

[rcoffman]

I have a T665 and I'm upgrading to an NX60 and passing the T onto my wife. Is the conversion as simple as just hot syncing?

[Tixx]

Don't just hotsync! Copy all of your old backup files from the 665 onto your desk top and start adding a few programs at a time onto the NX. I just went from a 615 to an NX not that long ago.

[rcoffman]

Apprecaite your response Tixx but I don't get it??? I assumed when installing the software it would install to the same directories as the T, leaving all of the files intact. Do I need to take all of the files out of the current back-up directory then install the software then copy the files back in a few at a time, as suggested?

[rhart00]

A lot of apps have a different version of their software for OS5. make sure if this is so, you install the OS5 version, otherwise it won't run and possibly cause a fatal alert.

[Tixx]

Originally posted by rcoffman
Apprecaite your response Tixx but I don't get it??? I assumed when installing the software it would install to the same directories as the T, leaving all of the files intact. Do I need to take all of the files out of the current back-up directory then install the software then copy the files back in a few at a time, as suggested?

Just pull out the whole backup directory, that is what I did. Install all your NX stuff and then I added applications a few at a time. Tedious, but it worked for me. Also do check the software for OS5 updates. Logon to Palmgear and search as you put them on:)

[rldunn]

I just sent an email to a friend of mine who's upgrading from an NR to an NX, and most of the same information would apply to you. So here you go.

1) You want to be very careful in restoring your system. This is unlike any upgrade you've done before. Take your old machine and do a backup to the MS, then I would make a copy of the MS on your desktop using BackupBuddy or MSImport, and finally do one last hotsync of the NR. Make the copy of the MS in a safe folder that won't easily get deleted. Figure out what folder your Hotsync backup goes in (mine is c:\program files\sony handheld\rod) and move that entire folder to somewhere else, like your desktop.

1b) Before you restore files to the NX, install the Clie Desktop that comes on the NX CD (install the newer version later). Now go very carefully through the list of files in the NR Hotsync backup. I would make a separate folder that will be for files that you now want to install on the NX. In this new folder, I would recommend not putting any hacks or preference files (either system or file preferences). This means you're going to have to reenter a lot of reg codes and recategorize LX, but at least you'll have a clean system. DAs work fine on the NX, though any hack-based DA Launchers won't. I use McPhling and SelectDA (see the thread from yesterday in the NX forum) to launch my DAs. If you're uncertain whether or not a file is OK for the NX, I would error on the side of caution. Then take your "OK" files and install them. At this point, maybe try to run them all and make sure they're not crashing anything. If so, do a hard reset and repeat this step.

2) Get some great NX utilities - You will definitely want to get a copy of OKey v1.1, and you probably want to get a copy of Fonts4NX and CodeDiver. OKey is kind of like a replacement for PageDownHack and the old Jog Preferences menu for OS4. I have all 3 options checked. Super Jog Assist allows you to hold down the jog button in apps with buttons until one of the buttons is highlighted. You can then scroll between buttons using the jog dial and also use it to selec the button you want to hit. For example, when a DB alarm goes off, I hold the jog dial down until a button is highlighted, then scroll to the OK button, and hit select without needing to use my stylus. Scroll Up/Down does two things. It adds two very visible up down buttons to the status bar, and it also adds 4 hidden buttons that take the place of the hardware buttons. The battery icon launches whatever the DateBook button is set to launch, and the left, middle, and right parts of the clock section launch the Address, Todo, and Memo button apps. The Sticky Key Mode allows you to hit the Shift key let it go, then hit a letter and it will be capitalized. Same thing with the Function button. After using the NR, this takes awhile to get used to. Unfortunately, there is a bug so that even when this is unchecked, the Shift button works as if it's on (Function button doesn't work this way with the option unchecked), so I think it's less confusing to just leave it checked and get used to it. Once you do, it's very nice. This is a great app and it's freeware.

Fonts4NX allows you to use Lubak's fonts to replace the system fonts; similar to what FontHack did in OS4, but this is a stand-alone app. The latest version allows the unused fonts to be on the MS, and the app itself can be run from the MS.

CodeDiver does a lot of things, but I only use it to launch certain apps in high-res+ mode. For example, LX has a bug under OS5 so that Clie apps launch with the VG area showing. CodeDiver takes care of this problem. Just hit Add, select a specific app, select the button next to VirtualSilk, and change SizeChg to Set and change the Started Size to Long. Leave everything else as is and hit OK. I also use this same setting for BugMe, since depending on how BugMe was launched, it would sometimes launch with the VG area showing. For BugMe, I also have the StopedSize set to Long, but I'm not sure if that's needed or not. Works for me though. Finally, if you use Handyshopper, this app can make it high-res+, and it works great!! For HS, set SizeChg to Force, StartedSize to Long and StopedSize to Long. I also have SopedPlugin set to Same, but I'm not sure if that's needed. Leave everything else alone and hit OK. You now have a high-res+ HS!! One bug with this method is that if you launch HS and then want to bring the VG area back (to search for an item or to enter a new item), the screen looks a little screwy and it acts like it's frozen for a few seconds. It will eventually come back, but the bottom part of the screen won't look normal again until you go back to your launcher. It's harmless though, and I like having HS in full-screen mode so much that I just use my keyboard to enter things now and leave the VG area hidden.

3) Update apps to NX versions - McPhling is the big one here, if you use it. DON'T reinstall v4.3. You need to install v5.10. It's now a stand-alone app. The latest bleeding edge release of AcidImage also works great, and you're not going to believe how much faster pics load than they did on your NR.

4) If you used a backup app before, it probably won't work now. JBBackup, CardBackup, PIBackup, etc all don't run under OS5. BBVFS kinda works. It worked OK for me if I wanted to back up everything, but it was very hard to set specific items to backup at certain times. The good news is that MSBackup works very good on the NX and has reliable restores. The bad news is that MSBackup doesn't allow for scheduling. I also have a beta of CardBackup that works on the NX pretty good and does allow scheduling, and this should be released within a few weeks. But for now, I would stick with MSBackup and set an alarm in BugMe or DB5 to remind yourself to do it.

5) Most hacks don't work on the NX. I though that this would be a major factor for me, but it really wasn't. Some hacks have been converted into stand-alone versions, and others have other kinds of replacements. One hack I missed was ClearHack, which removed all of the lines, but there's a pretty good solution for this. Just get Colorize, click on Edit, then click on the Field tab, and set Lines to be the same color as background. Voila, no more lines.

6) RAM space. As you've probably heard, only 11MB of the 16MB of RAM is actually available, so if you have less than 5MB available on your NR, you may have to rearrange things on the NX. The good news is that launching apps from the MS is very fast on the NX. Except for apps I use very frequently, have alarms, or have conduits, I put everything else in the Launcher folder on the MS. A lot of people at CS like PowerRun, but I think LX is faster at launching these apps. I'm a registered PowerRun user from way back when it was the only solution (pre-MSMount days), so it's not a matter of free vs paying; I just think LX does a better job. Of course, the stuff I use has tiny databases for the most part, so being able to keep writeable databases on the MS was not a big selling point for me. YMMV.

That's all I can think of for now. Have fun with your new toy!!

[Tixx]

How excellent is rldunn:)

[rcoffman]

All Clie people are the best, some more then others!!

[Tixx]

Originally posted by rcoffman
All Clie people are the best, some more then others!!

I would look a whole lot better if rldunn wasn't around;)

[rldunn]

Flattery will get you everywhere Tixx :)

It took long enough to write that email, I was just looking for somewhere else to put it to get my money's worth, and this thread seemed perfect!!

I should also point out that the speed differences between LX and PowerRun weren't great, but I did think LX was a little faster. I have also used ZL as my launcher, and I think it's faster as well. But if you need the ability to store writeable database on the MS, you may not care about that.

Also, CodeDiver does many more things than just make apps launch high-res+. See the thread I started in the NX forum about this app to get some other tips. Cameron Bullock has done a lot of work with this.

And finally, check out the WonderSilk thread; this app can modify the VG area and add a lot of features to it. Jim Barr has done a lot of work with this and has some tips on his page about it (see the links in that thread). Actually, he created a Jim's tips section about the NX in general which is stored on his page and is a good resource.

[goyanian]

great tips! thanks rldunn!

[rldunn]

Oh, there's one other thing, though this will be more for former NR users.

I'm not sure if you use any VG skins, but if so, you only have two options on the NX. PhotoSkin works to install skins on the NX, but the photo taking part still doesn't work. A lot of NR skins don't work with it, but many have been updated to NX versions. You can try your old NR skins and see if they work; they don't cause any problems, they just don't show up in the list to be selected.

However, I use a single skin and status bar and never change them. If you're like that, you can just hotsync the skins on to the NX and do a reset, and they'll show up. Hotsyncing is key; if you just copy the files over from the MS, it doesn't work. If you ever need to change them, you'll need to do a warm reset, delete the skin files, and then do a soft reset to get back to the standard skins. This method means I don't have to waste extra RAM for PhotoSkin.

[n2ifp]

HotSyncing from an older Clie is a no-no!

BTW, Sony has it documented if you look at page 171 or the handbook manual located on the CD.

Enjoy your new Clie!!!

ridunn, that was a mouthfull, but excellent!

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by rldunn
Oh, there's one other thing, though this will be more for former NR users.

I'm not sure if you use any VG skins, but if so, you only have two options on the NX. PhotoSkin works to install skins on the NX, but the photo taking part still doesn't work. A lot of NR skins don't work with it, but many have been updated to NX versions. You can try your old NR skins and see if they work; they don't cause any problems, they just don't show up in the list to be selected.

However, I use a single skin and status bar and never change them. If you're like that, you can just hotsync the skins on to the NX and do a reset, and they'll show up. Hotsyncing is key; if you just copy the files over from the MS, it doesn't work. If you ever need to change them, you'll need to do a warm reset, delete the skin files, and then do a soft reset to get back to the standard skins. This method means I don't have to waste extra RAM for PhotoSkin.

A very good tip!

Yep! It worked for me, but I had to find out the hard way:)

cbulock came to the rescue and the warm reset worked like a charm!