PvPIN

V 1.60

- PIN-inquiry after power-on -

© 2002, J. Steingräber Jo_Stein@web.de

TOC - table of content

1. Preamble

2. Warranty

3. Warning

4. Install the patch

5. Using the enhanced features of PvPIN

6. Known problems

7. FAQ


1. Preamble

The secret area of the PV is very insufficiently secured. It is easily possible to read out the password of the secret area with an Add-In or to avoid the security-function completely with the usage of a backup-programme.

Because of this lack PvPIN was developed. The intention of this patch is, to ask for a PIN after powering on the device. Just till now is no known possibility to short-circuit this PIN-security without any data-loss, it's so effective.

From this version on, the patch isn't offered as *.DIFF-file any more. Thanks to Johannes it is now possible to patch directly into the OS while using an Add-In-programme. With this, the complicated and dangerous handling of *-HEX-files is obsolete (DIFF-files contained the patching-instructions, HEX-files were complete images of the operating system, all was done outside the PV with the possibility of data-loss caused by windows-crashes or communication-errors).

Even if the patching has become easier than ever, please never forget the danger of changing the operating system. If the batteries aren't full enough, the PV-unit may be damaged severely and everlasting. Please be still careful!

Greets,

ToraxMalu and Doggy77

2. Warranty

The software and the documentation are offered "as is" with the hope to be beneficial. But it doesn't contain any warranty! The usage of the software and the processes described here is at your own risk! Even that the correctness of the given information and the functionality of this software has been tested and checked, the authors of the software and the manual can't be held responsible for any damage or cause that will result from the usage of this software.

3. Warning

PvPIN changes your PV's operating system. Please look for the fitness of your batteries. If they fail during the patching process, the PV may be ready for the garbage.

4. Install the patch

Since this version, the patch is designed as a normal Add-In. Due to this you may pack the program together with an alternative surface (BMP) and a keyboard-layout (ImageMap) in a single LZH-archive and execute it using the PV-Add-In-Manager. How to install the programs can be read at www.pocket-viewer.de in the workshop "installing Add-Ins". But if you want to include an alternative skin this can only be done by using an LZH-archive, but this will be explained later. After starting the setup-program, the following screen appears:

1st screen after program start

With the "MenuBar"-hardicon the menu is called.

menu

First it should be enough to install PvPIN just using the appropriate option.

Not only the startup-behaviour can be changed. Using the first schedule on 1st of January 1999 in secret area you may influence the following parameters:

1. line
This text is displayed in the first row of the PvPIN-Surface. This text may contain normal characters and several characters:

Because PvPIN reads the system-clock of the PV directly, the daylight-saving-setting isn't used. If you entered "Daylight saving"-option in world-time-clock, this isn't displayed.

Example:

%Y-%m-%d %H:%M * ToraxMalu – 07771-999888
displays in first row on 08/05/2001 20:15h:
2001-08-05 20:15 * ToraxMalu – 07771-999888

2. line:
determines the count of seconds, PvPIN doesn't ask for the Pin after the PV has been switched off. If the PV is re-powered on in X seconds the Pin isn't asked.

3. line
With a "1" in this line you activate the option to enter the Pin over the serial connection. You may use any terminal-program for this, even the HyperTerminal of windows. To do so, please set the serial port to 9600 baud, 8 databits, no parity and 1 stop-bit. In the Terminal windows should appear the prompt "PVPIN:".

5. Using the enhanced features of PvPIN

You may use PvPIN "as is". But for the individualists, mobile-cover-users and case-modders of you it has been implemented to use your own skin and keyboard-layout. But to do so, you have to do some preparations:

1. you have to create an uncompressed BMP-picture with 160x160 pixels of size and 1 Bit color-depth (black and white).

2. you have to prepare a corresponding imagemap.

As an example I included one of my creations.

Here is the corresponding imagemap.

<MAP NAME="PvPIN">
<AREA SHAPE="RECT" HREF="1" COORDS=" 19, 37, 56, 57">
<AREA SHAPE="RECT" HREF="2" COORDS=" 61, 37, 98, 57">
<AREA SHAPE="RECT" HREF="3" COORDS="103, 37,140, 57">
<AREA SHAPE="RECT" HREF="4" COORDS=" 19, 67, 56, 84">
<AREA SHAPE="RECT" HREF="5" COORDS=" 61, 64, 98, 84">
<AREA SHAPE="RECT" HREF="6" COORDS="103, 64,140, 84">
<AREA SHAPE="RECT" HREF="7" COORDS=" 19, 92, 56,112">
<AREA SHAPE="RECT" HREF="8" COORDS=" 61, 92, 98,112">
<AREA SHAPE="RECT" HREF="9" COORDS="103, 92,140,112">
<AREA SHAPE="RECT" HREF="d" COORDS=" 19,120, 56,140">
<AREA SHAPE="RECT" HREF="0" COORDS=" 61,120, 98,140">
<AREA SHAPE="RECT" HREF="r" COORDS="103,120,140,140">
</MAP>

The imagemap must be saved as simple TXT-file and mustn't contain any other HTML-tags. Only the commands mentioned above are allowed.

Here the parts of the imagemap are explained:

You can do these works "by hand", but there are a lot of freeware-tools available on the net just as "Handy Image-Mapper", which you may download at http://www.webattack.com/get/handyimapper.shtml . Please read the corresponding manual for the application. But always keep in mind: only rectangles are allowed.

If you have the bitmap and the imagemap, you have to create an LZH-archive from it. You may use LHA or PowerArchiver for it. I use for me the Speed-Commander. (http://www.speedproject.de/) unfortunately it isn't freeware any more since version 8. How the LZH-archive is created can be read at the corresponding manual of the program used. Maybe the best compression-method can't be used by PvPIN due to lack of RAM in PV. To save more memory you may pack other Add-Ins, eBooks and other files into the archive if you use PV-Add-InManager or textviewer.

If you have created the archive, it has to be converted to a PV-compatible format – an ADT-file. To do so the easiest way, please use ADTGUI from Johannes Steingräber. Please see the corresponding readme-file.

If you finally have the ADT-file you have to upload it to the PV the usual way you install Add-Ins. The ADT-Files appear on the right side of the PV-Application-Manager-window.

If you unistalled PvPIN, you have to reinstall it for changing the skin.

Just follow the commands in the first line of screen. If you pressed the right key, the corresponding area flashes black.

If the test was successful, you can install your work. But please keep in mind that this is a new patching-work, so have a look at the batteries.

After installation the standard-set can be installed using the command "File|Default Image & Map".

6. Known problems.

PvPIN blocks PCSync and other tools in the work. First you have to enter the Pin before you can use these tools.

7. FAQ

I tried to cover the most frequently asked questions in this section:

?? When I delete the PvPIN Add-In or the LZH-ADT-file from my PV, can it be damaged?
++ No, because the complete code including the bitmap and the imagemap are written directly to the operating system of your PV.

?? My PvPIN isn't active after installation!
++ Mostly this is just because of the wrong password for the secret area. It has to begin with numbers to force PvPIN to activate. PvPIN is switched off if it doesn't find any numbers at the beginning.

?? I created the picture with the size of 160x160 pixels, but the install-program doesn't recognise it!
++ The picture mustn't just have the right pixel-size but also it has to be a black-and-white (also called 1-bit-color-depth) bitmap that is uncompressed (no RLE-compression).

?? I created a picture of 160x160 pixels, but the upper 8 pixels aren't displayed?
++ PvPIN deletes the upper 8 pixel-rows to display test.