User's Manual

CHAPTER THREE - PL3000 BASICS
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‘RegFlushKey’ function to force a flush of the registry to the persistent storage and
the other one is that you, as a user, save the changes in the registry using a
maintenance utility called ‘Registry Backup’. Be aware that if your application calls
‘RegFlushKey’ on a regular basis it slows down performance of the system
because storing in the persistent storage is slow relative to the other hardware
operations in the system.
Note! There is an extra method to bring additional persistent information
to the registry database. Your device incorporates so called ‘Customizer’
technology that enables the Windows CE system to receive additional
registry settings through the *.PAK files in the ‘Flash’ folder.
FLASH DIRECTORY
There is a ‘Flash’ directory off the root of the file system on your PL3000. As
its name hints, the Flash directory (actually the Flash partition) is on a non-volatile
storage device based on the Flash memory technology. This directory is intended
for device customizing purposes, but it can be also used for Windows CE system
maintenance to bring update, upgrade, and bug fix patches to the system through
*.PAK files. In other words, the Flash directory is a dedicated part of a ‘Customizer’
technology on your PL3000 device, and it can contain, if need be, either
customization or system maintenance .PAK files, or both.
If you ever receive files being intended for your PL3000, and the extension of
the file names is either *.PAK or *.pak, put those files into the Flash directory. After
you have cold-booted your device the content of the .PAK files is enabled in your
system. On the other hand, if you remove a .PAK file from the Flash directory and
cold-boot your device, the content of the .PAK file is no longer in use on your
PL3000.
Having said that, some cautions must be mentioned – the *.PAK files are also
likely reason for some malfunction on your device. For example, if in the Flash
directory there are two .PAK files containing different instances (or even the same
instance) of the same file, you will probably encounter malfunction of some feature
on your PL3000. So, if you receive some program updates, let us say utility sample
updates from Nordic ID, in the form of the .PAK file, remove the .PAK file of the
program’s earlier version from the Flash directory before copying a new one into
the Flash directory.
You can find the Flash directory on your PL3000, for example, by double-
tapping on the My Device icon in the Windows CE shell, which launches a file
browser program. The file browser shows the root of the file system in its main
window, and among the directories and folders you can also see the Flash
directory. A double-tap on the Flash directory icon opens the contents of the
directory in the file browser window.