Astracadabra Answers
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I have Windows Vista on my main computer. Is there anything I need to do before installing Astracadabra? |
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Yes, before installing Astracadabra, there are some things that you need to do if you have Windows Vista as your main computer.
Windows Vista already has new form of "ActiveSync" built into the Windows Vista operating system, unlike previous versions of Windows that required the separate ActiveSync program. The new feature built into Windows Vista is no longer called "ActiveSync" but is now called the "Sync Center". Windows Vista does not allow a user to separately install "ActiveSync" as they did on earlier versions of Windows.
Before Astracadabra is installed, there is an additional feature (program) that should be downloaded from the Microsoft website - the "Windows Mobile Device Center". This feature, in my opinion, should already be installed into Windows Vista but it is not. There is a 32-bit version and a 64-bit version and so selecting the right one depends on whether you have the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows Vista. You may check your version of Windows by doing the following:
- Click on the "Start" orb then right-click on the "Computer" menu item then click on the 'Properties" item.
- Under the "System" heading, the "System Type:" will state whether that version of Windows Vista is a 32-bit operating system or a 64-bit operating system.
To download and install the Windows Mobile Device Center, visit this Microsoft link: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/devicecenter.mspx. Note the links on this page to the "English 32-bit" and the "English 64-bit" version.
Once the Windows Mobile Device Center has been downloaded and installed, Astracadabra can then be installed. The reason the Windows Mobile Device Center is required is that once Astracadabra has been installed it looks for a specific file in the Windows Mobile Device Center for merging Solar Fire chart files with Astracadabra. The Windows Mobile Device Center has many more features than the pre-installed Sync Center and is the one that Astracadabra requires.
Neville Lang, Developer
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I am interested in a software package for a PDA. What model would you recommend? Do you have any recommendations regarding hardware before I spend my money? |
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Thanks for your interest. You should be looking for a device that has the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, one that has a rectangular screen (not a square screen) and 64MB or more of RAM. In the Pocket PC range, the HP iPAQs are popular and in the Pocket PC Phone range, the “i-mate” brand is popular. It is probably best to re-check with us if you have your eye on a particular device just to make sure it is compatible with Astracadabra.
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When Astracadabra starts up, why doesn't it display the current transit wheel, as mentioned in the User Manual? It seems to show the current transit item on the Opened Chart List but I need to always tap on the "Show" tab to display the wheel.
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This problem can occur if you have an older version of Microsoft's .NET Compact Framework v1.0 that was packaged with the Windows Mobile 2003 or Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition operating system for Pocket PCs. Currently, the Compact Framework v1.0 is at Service Pack 3 and there have been quite a number of changes that impact on the operation of Astracadabra. This problem can also occur if either your Pocket PC's battery goes flat or you perform a "hard" reset of your Pocket PC.
To check the version of the .NET Compact Framework on your Pocket PC, do the following:
- On your Pocket PC, tap on "Start" then tap on "Programs" then tap on the "File Explorer" program to start it up.
- On the second line from the top, you should see a drop-down arrow. Tap on it then select the "My Device" item so that a list of folders and files for this top-most folder is displayed below it.
- Locate and tap on the Windows folder to display more folders and files.
- Scroll down past the folder icons and locate the CGACUTIL file and tap on it. You will see a version in square brackets. If it reads [1.0.4292.00] then it is up to date as this is the Service Pack 3 version. If you see a number less than 4292 then you need to update your version of the Compact Framework from the Microsoft website. Here is the link for the English version of .NET Compact Framework Service Pack 3: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=a5a02311-194b-4c00-b445-f92bec03032f&displaylang=en
- If you need to run the update then after you have done so, check that it has actually updated by checking the CGACUTIL feature again, as described earlier.
Neville Lang, Developer
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Can I do a patch update from Astracadabra v1.5 to v1.6? |
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The answer is NOT if you are using Windows Mobile 5. The root of the problem here is that you must not use the patch update to install Astracadabra onto a Windows Mobile 5.0 device. If you originally had a device with an operating system earlier than Windows Mobile 5.0 then your Astracadabra v1.5 CD plus the v1.6 patch would work. However, if you upgrade your Pocket PC to one that has Windows Mobile 5.0 on it then you must do the following, in this order:
Before ActiveSync v4.1 is installed, a user must uninstall Astracadabra with the old PPC in the cradle (or cable) from the Control Panel's Add or Remove Programs and Remove button. This action will remove Astracadabra from both the main computer and the older Pocket PC
Disconnect the older USB cradle from the main computer
With the new device's USB cradle not yet connected to the main computer, install ActiveSync v4.1 from the Pocket PC's CD following its instructions, and connecting the new USB cable when requested to do so. In many cases, only ActiveSync v4.0 is supplied on the new device's CD. In this case, once that version of ActiveSync has been installed then a user must download the later ActiveSync v4.1 from the Microsoft website: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/ and click on the "Windows Mobile" item on the left-hand side menu.
NOTE 1: There were a lot of problems with ActiveSync v4.0 so we strongly advise that all users check that they actually have ActiveSync v4.1. They can do this by clicking on the following: Start > All Programs > Microsoft ActiveSync > Help > About Microsoft ActiveSync. The top line should read Version: 4.10.
NOTE 2: If a user has a device with an earlier operating system than Windows Mobile 5.0, it is highly recommended that they continue to use Microsoft ActiveSync v3.8.
With ActiveSync v4.1 installed, the user should now perform at least one good Outlook synchronization without errors to check that all is well with the USB link.
Now, Astracadabra v1.6 can be installed from either the download (on the ET website at http://www.esotech.com.au/cgi-forms/acdform.htm) or from the CD version. It is expected that the installation will now work perfectly, as a user follows the installation instructions in the Astracadabra User Manual.
Neville Lang, Astracadabra Developer
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Can I convert my Astracadabra files to Solar Fire format if I own Solar Maps or Solar Writer, but not Solar Fire?
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At present, Astracadabra will only interwork with chart files from Solar Fire and no other ET products. I have an item on my list for Astracadabra v2 to detect other ET products if Solar Fire is not found on the main computer.
If Solar Fire is not detected using Astracadabra v1 then it will simply do backups onto the main computer of any charts that are entered into Astracadabra and will not synchronize with any other ET program. So, a user needs to enter all of their charts into Astracadabra, at least until Astracadabra v2 is released sometime in the future.
Neville Lang, Astracadabra Developer
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I have "windows XP (service pack 2)" installed on my desktop computer, will I need anything else to be installed if I have to install "Astracadabra" on my Pocket PC through this desktop computer?
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The Astracadabra installation is compatible with Windows XP (Service Pack 2) on your main computer (desktop or laptop).
Astracadabra is distributed only on a CD and when Astracadabra is installed from the CD, programs and files are automatically loaded onto both your main computer and your Pocket PC. As stated, some programs are loaded onto your main computer to control Astracadabra's automatic back-up of chart files onto your main computer. If you also have the Solar Fire program on your main computer then new charts entered into Astracadabra will also be merged with the Solar Fire chart files.
Before installing Astracadabra, It is important that your Pocket PC is sitting in its cradle (or cable) and connected to your main computer - you will see a GREEN coloured ActiveSync icon on your main computer's System Tray (bottom right corner of your screen). If the ActiveSync icon is coloured GREY then there is a cable problem or your Pocket PC is not connected.
The installation of Astracadabra onto your Pocket PC is totally controlled from the CD installer software and does not use the ActiveSync method of installation, like other Pocket PC programs. You will not need anything else - the installer on the CD controls the whole installation of Astracadabra.
Your i-mate JAM Phone/Pocket PC should run Astracadabra successfully as we have other customers with this model.
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Is it possible to use Astracadabra on my Psion series 7 handheld PC? It's about half size of an average laptop, colour screen etc. Memory is no problem as I have a memory card, but will Astracadabra work on the EPOC operating system?
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Astracadabra only works on the Windows operating system (Windows Mobile etc.) and not on Palm nor on Symbian (used in Nokia phones) nor on anybody else's operating system, like the one in the Psion.
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Can I use Astracadabra on my Pocket PC even though I have a Mac computer as my main computer?
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Yes. While Astracadabra does work on a Pocket PC, it also has some other programs that must be installed on your main computer (PC) in case you ever get Solar Fire.
These additional programs on your main computer are PC programs and not Mac
ones, so you will need to also purchase two other software packages -
"Virtual PC" and "Windows XP" - before you can install Astracadabra onto
your Mac and Pocket PC. See your Apple dealer about these programs.
The reason the extra Astracadabra programs need to be installed on a main computer (desktop or laptop) is to allow for the case where an Astracadabra owner later decides to purchase and install Solar Fire. There have already been cases where this scenario has applied. Once Solar Fire is installed, Astracadabra will be able to work instantly with Solar Fire because the required interworking programs have already been pre-installed on the person's main computer. If this were not done beforehand then you would need to first uninstall Astracadabra then install Solar Fire then reinstall Astracadabra. These actions were seen as being too much to ask of a user so it was decided to pre-install the PC programs on a main computer in all cases so, when you install Solar Fire later, Astracadabra will automatically detect Solar Fire and the user does not need to do anything else.
To my knowledge, we have had only one other person who has a Mac but who also had Virtual PC and Solar Fire before they installed Astracadabra. Since you have a Mac but do not yet have Solar Fire, you will still require Virtual PC and Windows XP because of the pre-installation of Astracadabra's PC programs on your Mac, as explained earlier.
Another important reason for the pre-installation of these additional Astracadabra program files on the main computer was that quite a few of our potential customers, at that time, already had Solar Fire and had hundreds or even thousands of charts that they would not like to have re-entered into Astracadabra. It was felt that it was better to provide some tight interaction with Solar Fire so that chart files could be easily exchanged between the two programs, in both directions. For our customers who already had Solar Fire and then purchased Astracadabra, this was seen as a great feature because they only need to keep one set of charts up to date to share between the two programs. For those people who do not yet have Solar Fire then Astracadabra will still work for them but they will need to enter all of their charts into Astracadabra.
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What are the Pocket PC Requirements for Astracadabra? |
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You need a Pocket PC that has the Microsoft Pocket PC 2002 or Microsoft
Windows Mobile 2003 operating system. Minimum 64Mb RAM memory and a
CPU using Intel¹s Strong ARM or XScale processors (or equivalents).
Please note that some new Pocket PC models only have 32Mb RAM - it is
highly recommended not to purchase these models as there is not enough
memory for Astracadabra and all of your chart files.
Astracadabra will not work on a Smartphone - mobile phones (cell phones)
that have some Pocket PC functionality. Typically, these devices only
have 32Mb RAM, less than the stated requirements. See above.
Please also note that Astracadabra has been developed for Pocket PCs
- not Palm.
If you have the Solar Fire program then chart file transfer can only
take place if you have Windows 98 or later (not Windows 95).
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