This Week's Tip:
VIP Tip #1299:
 Set X Button to close down programs completely

The X button in the upper right corner of a touch screen display does not really shut down the current program. For example, if you are working on a Word Mobile document and open Calendar to check an appointment, when you tap on Calendar's X button Word Mobile pops back up and you no longer see Calendar. But Calendar is still running in the background, using some of your system RAM to do it. If you open enough programs, you will run low on RAM and your system may slow down.
   You can completely close down any or all of your running programs from the Start >Settings >System >Memory >Running Programs tab. But that's a rather long-winded process. Fortunately, many devices come with a third-party task manager that lets you close down programs completely. In addition, there are a number of third-party task switchers that modify the X button so that it completely shuts down a program. If you're interested in doing this, check out these programs:
Windows Mobile 6 HTC touch screen devices
If you have a Windows Mobile 6 touch screen device manufactured by HTC, you already have this capability built in, but you need to activate it:
  1. Go to Start >Settings >System >Task Manager  and tap on the Button tab.
  2. Tap on the check box at the top of the screen, labeled "Enable the X button to end running programs."
  3. Select one of the two options below this: "End programs by tapping X" or "End programs by tapping and holding X."

Last Week's Tip:

VIP Tip #1258:
 Delete shortcuts to built-in programs

There are many programs built into Windows Mobile devices, and you may never use some of them (e.g., Terminal Services and Bubble Breaker). Unfortunately, you cannot delete these programs because they are permanently installed on the device. You can delete a program from the Start menu by going to Start >Settings >Menu and un-checking it in list. However, it's still listed in the Programs folder.
   If you don't want one of the built-in apps to appear in the Programs folder, you can remove the application shortcut using File Explorer. Note that this does not remove the application itself from your device; it just removes the program icon. Instead of deleting the shortcut completely, we suggest you cut and paste it to a backup folder. That way, if you ever change your mind, you can cut and paste it back into the Programs folder.
 
Deleting a shortcut
This can only be done on touch screen devices.
  1. In File Explorer, go to My Device\Windows\Start Menu\Programs.
  2. Tap and hold on the program you want to delete, and then select Cut from the pop-up menu.
  3. Navigate to a backup folder into which you want to paste the shortcut.
  4. Tap and hold on an empty space at the bottom of the file list and select Paste from the pop-up menu.
  5. If asked to confirm the paste, hit the Yes button.
Reverse the process to paste the shortcut back into the Programs folder.
 
Recreating a shortcut
If you deleted the shortcut instead of cutting it, you can recreate it as follows:
  1. Use File Explorer to find the desired application in the \Windows folder.
  2. Tap an hold on the app and select Copy from the pop-up menu.
  3. Navigate to the Programs folder.
  4. Tap and hold on an empty space at the bottom of the file list.
  5. Select Paste Shortcut from the pop-up menu.

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7/5/2008 Copyright © 2008 Thaddeus Computing   All rights reserved.