Supporting Windows Mobile
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Contents |
Introduction
Support for Windows Mobile devices can be a multi-pronged approach. Local Support Providers (LSPs) need to be aware of issues related to synchronizing with desktop computers, as well as troubleshooting issues on the handhelds themselves. This page is meant to be a store for useful information for LSPs that may be tasked with supporting Windows Mobile.
ActiveSync
As of February, 2007, ActiveSync 4.2 is the officially supported version. ActiveSync 4.5 has been announced, but is still in beta at this time. Please see the ActiveSync 4.5 article for more information on this update.
Installation
The ActiveSync installer writes installation information and error messages to %temp%\activesync.log . If there are problems with installation, this log file will help in diagnosing the cause of the problem.
Firewall Settings
The ActiveSync application requires the following applications to function properly. Be sure to allow these to go through the firewall:
- Wcesmgr.exe
- Wcescomm.exe
- Rapimgr.exe
ActiveSync uses the following ports in conjunction with the above application. Be sure to create firewall exceptions for these ports:
- Inbound TCP:
- 990
- 999
- 5678
- 5721
- 26675
- Outbound UDP:
- 5679
Utilizing Guest Partnership
LSPs occasionally need to attach a Windows Mobile device to their machine in order to install updates, transfer files, etc. Typically, when a device is plugged in to a machine, a setup wizard launches and tries to create a partnership between the device and the computer. If the device will not normally synchronize with the computer in question, the partnership can be problematic. In order to avoid this, and set up a guest partnership, simply click "Cancel" instead of walking through the wizard. You will then have access to the device for the time that it is plugged into the computer, allowing you to perform the necessary maintainance.
General Tips
Battery Life
- Reduce screen brightness to the lowest useable setting. The default setting for handhelds in general is at the maximum brightness, and will drain the battery much faster
- If Bluetooth networking is not needed, disable the Bluetooth radio.
Voice Mail Attachments
If users are receiving their deskphone voice mail as email attachments, the built-in Windows Mobile WAV player may not support the codec used to encode the WAV voicemail attachment. There are a few third party products that have solutions to this issue including:
- mVoiceMail from MotionApps
- CorePlayer
VPN for Windows Mobile 5
Windows Mobile 5 supports PPTP and ipSec/L2TP VPN connections. Cisco ipSecsupport can be added through third party solutions:
