Can You Install A Conduit with No Palm Desktop?

S

street_king

New member
Nutty question but one that intrigues me: I have MobileDB4. I like it - it provides a neat and simple desktop database creator too.

After reinstalling W2K last night following an "Ubuntu Linux experiment," I got to thinking - if I had Pilot Install and Mobile DB - would the Handmark product allow me to install MobileDB (at least the PC desktop part) if Palm Desktop was not installed? Part of the installation obviously is transferring the handheld prc and setting up the conduit. I'm assuming the install would fail at that point with 16 windows installer messages saying "Dude! We can't go on, Bro!" You might wonder why I haven't just "tried it;" - I've done enough experimenting for one week! Just wondered what the mechanics of installing a conduit-based program for which there isn't one, especially when you get to the "restarting hotsynch manager" part. Every developer is different and I'm hoping you're allowed to install just the desktop and it "trusts you" to hotsynch and install the handheld version later.

Has anyone done this? If sketchy, I'll go ahead and install Palm Desktop - but I had figured out how to avoid having it, using PInstall to install new apps and keep a "repository" on the desktop of apps to be burned (as new versions come out, for archiving). MobileDB will convert csv files to MobileDB4 files, and will read my "MobileDB Wkg" database list that I keep on the desktop.

My reasons are varied, but mostly because I lost Palm Desktop while using Linux and was ready to "deal" with that - I've reinstalled everything save Palm Dsktop, and was wondering before I tie up 100MB in various "this's and that's," if I could get around it altogether. Pilot Install works well and I can "backup" another way. Any thought would be appreciated, especially from Mac or Linux users who I don't think have the "luxury" of the P/Dtop anyway. Thank you.
 
Although I haven't tried it yet, I had an interesting idea. If you run Card Export on your Palm, the SD card should appear as a drive letter on your desktop. With this in mind, you could possibly create a batch file on your desktop that can copy or move files automatically. The batch file would have to know the drive letter assigned to the SD card and the folder. You would use the copy or move comand in the batch file. Some examples include:


copy c:\data\*.pdb e:\palm\launcher

or

copy e:\palm\launcher\*.pdb c:\data

move e:\palm\launcher\*.pdb c:\data


You could substitute the file names and directories. The batch file can be created in Notepad or any text editor. Save the file with .bat on the end. It is possible to have the file run attended by using the
Windows Scheduler program.
 
Well, I think we've found the next Palm CEO. Wow.

I tried CardExport with my "Ubuntu trial," and the PC didn't see it. I believe it still won't now I've got W2K back on. I remember (perhaps it was you) saying Palm requires a couple of drivers found in the Palm folder (which isn't there yet because I haven't installed Palm Desktop yet) - I'm going to do a search for those. If it relies on finding "new USB driver/Palm handheld" from the driver .cab, I'm hosed since I wipe that 55MB albatross out as part of the W2K "gutting," along with uninstalling IE and some other components. I'd rather have the speed, but drivers sometimes "need finding elsewhere." I burn the Driver .cab to disk, so I can look through that and manually shove them in WINNT/Sys32/Drivers if I need to.

Wondering why CardExport wouldn't be recognized (gave me "no host" message on handheld) - but works when Palm Desktop is installed. Is it those two missing drivers?

Regarding specifically your post: I am SOOO doing that later tongiht! CdExp allows you to see the SD Card on a T3 - but not the internal stuff, right? So if I use TealMover to copy address database and anything else I want backed up - your batch file would see it. Cool. I imagine it would have to be outside "PALM" and "DCIM" folders to work automatically - just in "open launcher area?" Oh no - wait - you could substitue

\palm\launcher\TM BU couldn't you? Woohoo! Too hip Brother!

Really - pack your bags. You're coming to California to help save a REAL dying whale.
Thank you.
 
Next Palm CEO? That is an interesting thought. Maybe we should join forces and try saving the dying whale.

I am not quite sure what to tell you about Linux not seeing the SD card because I have not used Ubuntu before. I know on SUSE, the SD card opens automatically when Card Export is first launched. Did you install Card Export or Card Export II? I believe only Card Export II will work with Linux and Mac and is designed for the T3.

Regarding your question about substituting folder and file names, it should work as long as the names don't exceed 8 characters + 3 letter extension.

You are right that Card Export does not see the internal memory of the Palm.
 
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