HoppeRx - the cure for your ailing device

Camera Preview orientation problems in WM6.5+

2009-11-20T19:01:00Z

WM6.5 introduced some new layering/compositing technologies that have the potential to break some display driver assumptions. If your display driver is vulnerable to this problem, it will likely break in LTK test #4040 during camera preview orientation. If your display driver is not failing #4040, your driver is robust enough to accommodate the latest design and no further change is required. In pre-6.5 versions of Windows Mobile, the primary surface was responsible for all compositing which is no...(read more)

Hopper log runtime mismatch

2009-11-18T18:23:00Z

Establishing the correct value for Hopper runtimes can sometimes be challenging due to the number of places this value is stored. Some are reporting that the Hopper log runtime numbers at the top of the file don’t always match the values reported at the end of the file. Knowing which value to trust can save OEMs time & energy in chasing down the wrong value – here are some strategies to help: 1. Locate the Hopper.bak file, this is ‘backup’ log file that was written 5 minutes prior to the Hopper.log...(read more)

Relieving VM pressure from the GWES process slot

2009-10-07T16:05:00Z

Windows Mobile displays are get larger and UI assets become more robust which is putting additional VM pressure on GWES to marshal all this additional data. Depending on the situation, implementing a “shared heap” using CeHeapCreate() to store assets may be valuable. The Heap will be relocated in the “mapper slots” thus reducing pressure on GWES and has the side benefit of letting Windows Mobile manage the heap for you. This API is documented in the OEM docs as well as: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa450797.aspx...(read more)

Big Iron

2009-04-24T19:01:00Z

The ability to try out bug fixes is a valuable part of the Hopper process and re-building images quickly is one of the easiest ways to improve your Hopper numbers. We recently went about trying to find the combination of build server parts that makes short work of our builds and wanted to share with the OEM community. Step 1 : Start with a fast quad-core computer with dual hard-drives. Doesn’t have to be the fastest processor group out there, but use something capable. Don’t worry about the size...(read more)

Troubleshooting guide - part 2

2009-04-21T17:07:00Z

Below is the second half of a well executed document from guestRx: Bulent Elmaci. Bulent has worked with Windows Mobile debugging for a long time and backs up his writing with a lot of experience. It is the first of a series of articles he has written to help our OEM's become better debugging developers. Enjoy! TOOLS Using correct tools to collect relevant and sufficient data, and to analyze them not only makes the life a little easier for the engineers, it also helps making sure correct information...(read more)

Troubleshooting guide - part 1

2009-03-05T17:56:00Z

Below is a well executed document from guestRx: Bulent Elmaci. Bulent has worked with Windows Mobile debugging for a long time and backs up his writing with a lot of experience. It is the first of a series of articles he has written to help our OEM's become better debugging developers, we will follow up with the second part soon. Enjoy! Jumpstart Guide to Troubleshooting on Windows Mobile – Part I Every Windows Mobile device goes through a full software project cycle, before it can be commercialized,...(read more)

A Windows CE 6.0 Book that I keep paging back to...

2008-12-19T17:24:00Z

I am not much of a programming book person, I am much more likely to select code and press "F1". However, I find myself reaching for a CE 6.0 book and have been finding it quite useful. "Windows Embedded CE 6.0 Fundamentals" [Pavlov, Belevsky][ISBN 0735626251 ] It is targeted as an “OS” book, so if you are curious about VM, threads and other nuts & bolts it makes for a real page-turner....(read more)

Writeable code sections got you down? Fear no more!

2008-09-19T20:56:00Z

Virtual Memory changes included in Windows Mobile 6.1 can relocate read- only code sections out of Slot 0 and into a higher address range. This change was taken to relieve pressure from our coveted, read- write Slot 0. This change will be transparent to most developers since code sections are by default, read- only and do not assume code sections will be adjacent. However, if you are intentionally including the “W” (write) attribute on a code section and your DLL is greater than 64kb, then you may...(read more)

Hopper: Start Menu Dead!

2008-03-08T03:01:00Z

Interesting post over at "Reed & Steve" regarding Hopper and full screen apps and the Start Menu Dead message. Check it out here . Kudos to them for making this available....(read more)

Use CallWindowProc when using WNDPROC pointers directly

2008-02-07T20:42:00Z

A recurring theme I see while debugging application compatibility issues has to do with the direct use of the window proc pointer. If the intended WNDPROC exists in a DLL that is located in Slot 0, the pointer “looks right” and is often mistakenly used directly. In Windows Mobile, direct access to the window procedure requires you go through CallWindowProc(). Instead of trying to use the pointer directly, use CallWindowProc() like this: // Direct call to wndProc() // Incorrect! tp.result = recvWndClass.lpfnWndProc(NULL,...(read more)

Are you passionate about Windows Mobile Devices?

2008-01-19T01:45:00Z

Do you want to work on next generation Windows Mobile devices long before they become commercially available? Want to be the first one to work with and influence next year’s Windows Mobile devices? Then you’re in luck! The Windows Mobile team is looking for a strong developer who is passionate about the next wave of our devices. The Windows Device Core Joint Development Program (JDP) team is looking for an experienced developer to assist OEMs and Silicon Vendors in putting the latest Windows Mobile...(read more)

MemoRx incorrectly displaying VM overlap in pre-release Windows Mobile versions

2008-01-11T03:07:00Z

Many OEM’s have already noticed that Memory Doctor doesn’t correctly represent VM overlap in some pre-release versions of Windows Mobile. There have been some changes in WM VM architecture that contradict an assumption made by MemoRx which results in potential incorrect reporting. MemoRx will continue to work well in officially release versions of Windows Mobile. Instead of updating MemoRx and continuing with our 2-tool approach, we though it would be more useful to merge the useful features of MemoRx...(read more)

Understanding Output From “meminfo kernel”

2007-11-16T02:52:00Z

I was debugging a weird hang at device boot and I used the command “meminfo kernel” in CeDebugX to get more info, but I realized right away that I didn’t know what this command was showing me. So, I did a bit of investigation into what the output meant and thought I’d write down what I learned so I’d remember it later. And, of course, there’s no better place to write things down than on the HopperRx blog, so here’s what I learned. Intro to Kernel Heap To understand the output of "meminfo kernel",...(read more)

Passive KITL to the rescue

2007-11-02T18:59:00Z

I'm sure many of you have been in a situation where your device hangs during field testing. Or sometimes you are trying to track down a problem which only repros at a certain location. The best thing you can have in these situations is, of course, a live KITL connection to the device. This can be challenging at times because you can't run around with a phone connected to your laptop with a short USB cable. Its just not practical. This is where Passive KITL can be used. ( Read the “Active and Passive...(read more)

Running Platform Builder 6 on Vista

2007-10-25T20:39:00Z

There are a lot of people that afraid to switch of Vista because they are afraid that their stuff will not work. Well truth be told, I've been running Vista+VS2005_SP1+PB6 since March of this year and haven't had any major problems. The only two problems I had was: 1. If the device doesn't have Vista compatible driver then you will not be able to connect/debug the device. 2. Flashing the devices on Vista can be painful because some devices still have no support for Vista flashing. In order to have...(read more)