If you want to connect your Psion to your PC then you will need the
appropriate software plus an RS232
serial cable.
Windows Vista and PsiWin 2.3.3
Reports on the Psion Place forum and Psion Digest are that PsiWin 2.3.3 works fine with Windows Vista, one user reported that it may require some tweaking to get it to work properly.
(See Psion Place forum for more details -- also search the forum for PsiWin and Vista for the latest information).
About PsiWin 2.3.3
There are now a number of different applications which will allow you
to do this, the most popular of which is EPOC Connect, which
is badged by Psion as PsiWin; the latest version is PsiWin 2.3.3.
This page covers PsiWin 2.3.3, although a number of alternative applications
are also commented on at the bottom of the page.
You can use PsiWin to connect the following PDAs
SIBO (Siena, Series 3, 3a, 3c, 3mx and WorkAbout)
and
EPOC (Series 5, 5mx, 7, Revo, NetPad and Netbook)
to a PC running
Windows 95, 98, 98se, Me, 2000, NT4, XP or Vista.
Note: If you want to connect a Psion SIBO PDA to Windows 3.1x
then you will need to use PsiWin 1.1.
PsiWin 2.3.3 will run under Windows XP and Vista (I recommend that
you use PsiWin 2.3.3 with XP or Vista, as I know of people who have had problems
even with PsiWin 2.3.2). Note that PsiWin is not network aware and offers
no options for node installations. If you install it under the Administrator
account then only the Administrator will be able to use PsiWin; if you
install under a User Account then the user will be able to use PsiWin
AND so will the Administrator. So think about how you will use PsiWin
before you install it.
Connection
Check out the cables page for options on
how to connect your Psion to your PC or laptop via serial cable, USB
or InfraRed.
Connection problems?
If you are having real problems connecting to either PsiWin
1.1 or PsiWin 2.x you can test to see whether your Psion and Windows are
even communicating at the most basic level by opening up the COMMS application
on your Psion and HyperTerminal on your PC. More details can be found
at Mike McConnell's excellent website
EPOC R5 / Symbian OS v.5 files can be converted to PC format and vice
versa.
Convertion is done via a drag-and-drop method, or via the
Psion
| Convert option in PsiWin. A dialog box will pop-up offering
you various convertion formats and options.
Please note that converstion to and from Microsoft Access
is limited as the built-in Data application is not a relational database.
In my experience it is best to convert to a Comma Separated Values
(.CSV) file.
Convertion to and from PIM applications, such as Microsoft
Outlook and Lotus Organiser are best done via Synchronisation. Personally
I do not know of any other way to do this.
If
you are experiencing problems synchronising between your Psion and Microsoft
Outlook it may be that your .pst file has errors in it -- this sometimes
happens. Outlook installs with a tool to repair problems with your .pst
file, called the Inbox Repair Tool (SCANPST.EXE) and is located in:
Outlook 2003:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033
Older versions may have:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MAPI\1033
Simply run the program, locate your .pst file and press the "Start"
button.
Your .pst file is located (in Windows XP) in
C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
PsiWin 2.3.3 is excellent for installing Psion applications. Once PsiWin
is installed simply double-click on a .SIS file on your PC and the PsiWin
'Install New Program' application will run, connecting to your Psion
and installing the new application on your PDA.
For applications with no .SIS installation program you can use the
drag-and-drop method to copy files to the appropriate folder on your
Psion.
Back-up
PsiWin 2.3.3 also makes backing-up files simple. I use both PsiWin
1.1 and PsiWin 2.3.3 to backup my 3mx, and PsiWin 2.3.3 to backup
my 5mx.
There is a Lotus Organizer 5.0 and 6.0 Plug-in for PsiWin available
for download (Zip, 1.34 MB) either on the Psion MyPsion
website, or from this website.
The information about this plug-in on the Psion website suggests
that it is compatible only with PsiWin 2.3.1, however, I have successfully
synchronized my Psion 5mx Agenda and Contacts with Lotus Organiser
5.02 (SmartSuite 9.7) using PsiWin 2.3.3.
(You can find out which version of PsiWin you have installed by opening
MyPsion from the Windows desktop and selecting Help | About PsiWin
2.3.)
This is what the Psion website says about this plug-in:
"This is a plug-in synchronizer for PsiWin 2.3.1
which provides synchronization for Lotus Organizer 5.0/6.0 Calendar
and Address Book. This plug-in is not supported for use with PsiWin
2.3.3. Lotus Organizer does not incorporate a native email application.
The plug-in enables: Revo, Series 3, 5, 5mx and Series 7 Agenda
files (appointments, events, to-dos and anniversaries) to be synchronised
with Lotus Organizer 5.0/6.0 Calendar.
Revo, Series 5mx and Series 7 Contacts file to be synchronised
with a Lotus Organizer 5.0/6.0 Contacts list."
Remove the password from protected files
or Agenda memos on the Series 3 range Psion. Password-protected
files or Agenda memos cannot be upgraded
Remove any Solid State Disks inserted in
the Psion if you do not want the files on them to be upgraded.
Files on SSDs are upgraded automatically
Switch off any automatic settings you have
set in PsiWin. For example, if you’ve used PsiWin before this
upgrade, and have chosen to automatically back up your Psion
when you connect, you will need to turn this option off before
running the upgrade program
Make sure that owner information is set on
the Series 3 range Psion you are upgrading. PsiWin identifies
individual Series 3 range Psions by the owner information
in the System screen, so it is a good idea to ensure that
each Psion you connect has different owner information
Set the link on each machine
To avoid problems with open files, close
all files on both Psions
Connect the Series 3 range
Psion you are upgrading, but keep your new Psion (Series 5
or later) to hand so that you can connect it at the correct
stage during the upgrade
Connect the Series 3 range Psion you want
to upgrade to your PC and ensure that the link is turned on.
Click the Start button on the Taskbar, point
to Programs, point to PsiWin and then click on Upgrade from
Series 3 or Siena. (If this is not available you will
find the application in \Program Files\Psion\PsiWin\PSIUPGD.exe).
If this is the first time you’ve connected
the Series 3 range Psion to PsiWin 2.3.3 the New Psion dialog
is displayed where you should enter a new machine name. If
you’ve changed its owner details since you last connected,
select the existing machine.
When you are ready, click Yes to start the upgrade.
The files are copied to the PC and upgraded to the correct file
formats for a Series 5 or later model.
Disconnect the Series 3 range Psion and remember
to switch off the link to save battery power (Psion+L).
Connect your new Psion (Series 5 or later),
ensure the link is switched on (Ctrl+L) and then click OK to
start copying the upgraded files
All upgraded files are stored in a folder called 'S3 files'
on the root (top level) of the Internal disk on the new Psion.
From here, you can move the files to other folders as you require.