U () = )( ± P S I O N T I P O F T H E W H A T E V E R T O P I C: Protecting Your PSION Last time we talked was April. Well, I must apologize. Here I start producing this essential cache of precious, important information on the one piece of hardware you can't live without (so PSION says) then--pow--all of a sudden I stop providing it. Sorry. Been busy. S A D N E W S There are some PSION tragedies of late. The names have been changed to protect the innocent PSIONs. Sally dropped her PSION (who hasn't?). Unfortunately, the screen broke! Weeks and big dollars later she got the unit back, all fixed up. Very discouraging though the time it took to repair it. Fuzzy's hinges broke. Looked like plastic fatigue even though they pampered the unit. We can't figure out why they broke. PSION said it would not be covered under the warranty; nevertheless, it was sent it in. Weeks and big bucks later, the unit came back, complete with a new lid. Only problem is, the Mobility dealer and Compulys (the sole Canadian distribution point) treated Fuzzy like dirt. He was without his unit for 3-1/2 weeks and they could have not cared less. Very bad news: Fuzzy bonked his newly repaired PSION on the floor. Something broke inside the hinge. Here we go again... Gameboy's PSION was stolen from his car. Fortunately, he had backed up his data to his PC the day before. He's got a new 1MB model--yes, they're available! My PSION is sick! Both my hinges broke. It too looks like plastic fatigue. But maybe I dropped it one too many times... Curiously both Fuzzy and I had our units for about one year. I can't bear to part with mine so I have ordered a second one (can't get enough of PSION). Now I have a 1MB model. So this seems like a good time to discuss backing up your PSION and protecting yourself against these unpleasant scenarios. W H Y B A C K U P ? There are nasty things that can happen to your PSION: loss, theft, fire, flood, damage, failure, or random act of the computer gods. If it happens, you may lose all your data. Studies show however that the most common cause of data loss on computers is user error, in other words, you accidentally delete your file! It's unnerving when you think about losing even a small amount of data. The most important thing you can do is make a extra copy (or backup) your data regularly. Another reason occurs to me. When you send your PSION in for repair, you should backup data. As they test the unit, it will likely be cleared. Possibly they may send back a different unit. W H A T Y O U N E E D T O P E R F O R M A B A C K U P You can backup your data to PSION "disks," that is to the solid state disks (SSD) electronic cards that fit in either of the two drive bays inside your PSION. These are like PCMCIA cards for regular computers but are proprietary. Since these SSDs are rather expensive and you'd need a large supply, they are not viable. It is cheaper to backup to a personal computer's hard disk or to standard floppy diskettes. So here's what you need: -personal computer with one serial port -PSION 3Link package -some software installed on your computer -software configured for the port on the computer you're using -a PSION -AC adapter (not critical but will save batteries) It is probably too complicated to describe how to install your PSION communication software and it is a bit beyond the scope of this newsletter. You probably are sick of hearing this but follow the instructions provided with the software. If you're stuck at the installation phase, I can help, in person or over the phone. What follows are some notes on the particularly important aspects of connecting. Choosing or using the COM port on the Mac it's easy, you pick the Modem (default) or Printer port; on a IBM PC, you have to figure out whether the COM port is 1,2, 3, or 4. It may not be identified. The 3Link package includes a cable with a bulge, affectionately referred to as the "soap-on-a-rope." You need this with some software. The software included in the 3Link box you may not use, substituting a different program. Different software is available for both IBM PCs and Apple Macintosh platforms. H O W T O B A C K U P This describes the typical process for backing up or transferring all files to or from your computer. It assumes you have the communication software installed and configured and the 3Link cable already attached to your computer. -connect the power cord to your PSION (if you have it) -connect the 3Link cable to the PSION -close all programs -activate "the link" on the PSION -run the PSION communication program on your computer To close all programs and save all files, do the following: -press -choose APPS, EXIT ALL APPLICATIONS or press -press to confirm You can exit all programs except Time. To activate the PSION "link" feature to transfer files: -press -choose SPECIAL, REMOTE LINK or press -set REMOTE LINK to ON -if necessary, set BAUD RATE to match computer (19200 is typical) -if necessary, set EXTRA PARAMETERS (NONE is typical) -press Note in the Status window, a heartbeat pulse symbol appears. It "moves" when there is activity. In fact, it should move briefly upon successfully connecting to your computer. W H E R E T O G O F R O M H E R E What you do at this point depends on the software you have and what your intentions are. I have a very simple DOS program on the PC. I generally backup all the data from all my PSION SSDs and internal memory to my PC every 2 weeks. I use the FILE, COPY FILE or procedure. Upon copying files successfully, I archive and compress them on my PC's hard disk and eventually move them to floppy diskette. On the PSION, I delete unnecessary files. Also, I delete crossed-out events from my Agenda using FILE, TIDY/EXTRACT or . Gameboy uses the Intellilink for Windows program which sychronizes data into Schedule+, his company's network time planner. He says it works fairly well but unfortunately it is no longer being sold... O T H E R T H I N G S T O D O Insure your PSION or make sure it is covered. Check your insurance policy with respect to your deductible and property off-premises-a loaded PSION might exceed the permitted amount. Record the serial number (found inside the drive A compartment). My first PSION, a Series 3, was lost/stolen and never returned. Having replacement insurance allowed me to immediately purchase a new unit. My friend ordered himself a new PSION the day after his was stolen. Your deductible might be large but it's likely less than a brand new unit. Regularly backing up the data minimized our data loss. We restored the data from our hard disks and were quickly up and running with our replacement units. I D E N T I F Y T H E P H Y S I C A L P A R T S Engrave your name on your PSION. If you want it unobtrusive, consider marking inside the drive bays. Put an address sticker and id inside the battery compartment. Put a notice beside the screen or somewhere on the outside of your PSION-you never know when you'll encounter an honest soul. I have the following on a small sticker beside my screen: If found, please notify / Si vous me trouvez, SVP aviser: Blake Nancarrow, Computer Ease 65 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 203, Toronto, Canada, M6K 1Y3 (416) 535-1899. REWARD! Thank you, merci! I have a Word document which contains the same information. It is titled "!Iffound." I precede the filename with an exclamation mark so it appears at the top of the file list in the System screen. I lost my PSION Series 3 (before it was stolen) on a streetcar once, while going home (it slipped from my coat pocket). A TTC employee was able to phone me at home an hour later to report it found. This same "owner" information is displayed on my screen when you power on my PSION as I have the main password active. A C T I V A T E T H E M A I N P A S S W O R D Having the main system password on may seem like security overkill but there are a number of advantages. When the unit is powered on it prompts for a password of up to 8 letters. This might discourage a thief. If a thief has an honest bone in their body, they may give up and return the unit. Since a start-up password slows down your immediate use of the unit. I suggest a short password, maybe 3 letters minimum. Again, enough to frustrate a thief and to prevent snooping by a stranger. Consider a guessable word so friends and partners can get in. The next advantage to the main password is that it displays the "owner" information, four rows of text you set, every time the unit starts up. This can help the unit find its way home. A third advantage is knowing that a thief isn't learning intimate details about you. The only way they can get in to the PSION is to remove all the batteries for a time. This will clear the passwords and all of your personal data. The friend whose PSION was recently stolen did not have a main password. While he did not have sensitive personal information inside, he reported feeling "creeped-out" that the thief was looking at all his appointments and friends telephone numbers. To turn on the main password: -press -choose SPECIAL, PASSWORD or press -if the file is already protected with a password, enter the old password and press -change PASSWORD SET to ON -if supplying a new password, type it; if changing a password, enter a different one; if removing, leave field blank -press not -type same password again as a confirmation; again, leave blank if removing a password -press -remember to turn off your PSION to seal it To set the owner information: -press -choose INFO, SET OWNER or press -enter 4 lines of text -delete the headings if you have long text entries -use keys to move up and down -press to store the new information -turn PSION off then on to test it (assuming the password is activated) A C T I V A T E P A S S W O R D S O N D O C U M E N T S I keep all my passwords and sensitive numbers in a PSION Word document. Every one. Computer network passwords, internet passwords, credit cards numbers, Bell calling card, PST excemption, blah blah blah. Very handy to have on your person, very useful to someone snooping. Obviously, I keep a full random password on this file. You can keep passwords on Word documents, Sheet files, and memos in your Agenda. They can be up to 8 alphanumeric characters. To set, change, or remove the password in documents: -if in Word, choose WORD, PASSWORD or press ; if in an Agenda memo, choose MEMO, PASSWORD (same keyboard shortcut); if in Sheet, choose FILE, PASSWORD or press -if the file is already protected with a password, enter the old password and press -if supplying a new password, type it; if changing a password, enter a different one; if removing, leave field blank -press not -type same password again as a confirmation; again, leave blank if removing a password -press -remember to exit from the file to seal it, particularly if it contains sensitive information N E X T W E E K I dunno just yet. But it will be juicy. Actually, later this week I will send out a bunch of little snippets of PSION info. C O R R E C T I O N S none S P E C I A L A N N O U N C E M E N T S Please welcome two newbies of the PSION news: Nelson Nunes (on the net) and Victor Wyprysky (not on the net). I have a new (preferred) email address: blaken AT computer-ease.com If you have any PSION questions, give me a holler there. I N V I T E D M E M B E R S Here's a list of people that I know of that use or want PSIONs but don't have electronic mail ids or have ids that I don't know. Please forward a hard-copy to them and send me their email address(es). C L O S I N G A long discussion. I trust interesting and a little frightening. Just about every possible thing has happened to my PSION or a friend's. Please try some of these suggestions and take care (of your PSION). C O L O P H O N Tip number: 6 Written by: Blake Nancarrow of Computer Ease Entered: 95.09.10 @ 21:24 DST Platforms: PSION Series 3, Series 3a Sent via: internet Best id: blaken AT computer-ease.com Good id: 70511.673@compuserve.com Written in Word on PSION, uploaded to Dell with RCOM, imported into Word for Windows 6.0 to be spelling checked, reformatted with IBM Personal Editor 2.0, saved in pure ASCII.