Just got a Zaurus 5600, & a lot of questions

[wizzard]

Hi
I just bought a Zaurus 5600 from Amazon (despite it having a pxa250 chip). This is my first PDA and I\'m feeling a little lost. On Sharp\'s websites there seem to be several updates but I\'m not sure which one to install. Also I\'ve heard about a patch that takes care of the bug in the pxa250 but am not sure if I need it ornot. Most free programs I was able to find were for the CL5500 which seems to be most popular; and some posts say that these programs won\'t work with the CL5600. Is this true? I did have problems terminating the Java game \"Tail Gunner\". I am also having synchronizing problems with my XP Pro machine. Whenever I double click on \"Sync Options\", nothing happens. Is there a sort of \"Dummies Guide\" to the Zaurus 5600? It\'ll be a great help for absolute beginners like me.
Thanks

[cmisip]

I think some 5500 programs will work with the 5600.  Some Openzaurus programs with tweaking will work on sharp rom as well.  There are a lot of nice howtos on the net for whatever you are interested to do with your z.   I have put up my own howtos in http://cmisip.home.insightbb.com/index.htm
It covers freeswan, shorewall, mpeg4 encoding and playback, xmms,  nfs swapping, special kernel and such.  
I have compiled my own zImage with the pxa250 cache errata turned off.  To me, the performance boost is more important than data integrity as I mostly use the Z for fun.  
Congratulations on your purchase, have fun with the Z.

[tumnus]

The manuals that come with the 5600 are reasonably good for inexperiences users if you just want to use it as a PDA.

The only official updates from Sharp for the 5600 are here: http://www.myzaurus.com/downloads2.asp . The latest ROM is 1.32. To see what ROM you have, go to the Settings Tab, tap the System Info app and go to the Version tab. Your ROM version is on the last line of that screen.

Most 5500 apps will work now because the latest 5500 Sharp ROM is very similar to the 5600 ROM.

If you feel your 5600 is a little sluggish, you might want to flash the kernel (the patch you mentioned). You can find the download and instructions on this page: http://www.zaurususergroup.com/modules.php...download&sid=53 . Make sure you download v1.3 of the Special Kernel. You shouldn\'t lose any data by flashing your 5600.

I\'ve never had any sync problems with XP Home, so I don\'t know what\'s going on with your PC.

[guh]

I received my brand new 5600 (pxa-250, because www.prixusa.com, an USA exporter told me it was a 255, but when I received it, it was a 250 !).
So, yesterday I updated my 5600 with the Sharp update given on the www.zaurus.com site (the link given above). But my Zaurus dit not boot OK : the Zaurus hangs on ths \"Zaurus - please wait for aproximately 1 minute\" grey screen.
I  saw only after that the update was only for 1.0 versions !!! And I had a 1.2x !

After that I tried to format, etc... put Zynergy ROM , etc... retried update with Sharp  update. And I am at the samez point : Zaurus hangs on the \"Zaurus - please wait for aproximately 1 minute\" grey screen.
What can I do ??
Is there a Full ROM that  I can flash with ??
Help !

[tumnus]

Make sure you are following the instructions precisely. The update on the www.myzaurus.com should work regardless of your current ROM. Remember to include all 4 files when you flash and make sure none are corrupted.

[guh]

OK, it works.
I downloaded and flashed again the Sharp 1.32 ROM on the ZUG site -] it worked
I upgraded with Zynergy ROM -] it worked
I\'m gonna try Doom now

[wizzard]

Thanks for the help. I am trying to get up my courage to update the ROM. Will this update rectify the bug in the processor?
Are the updates available in Sharp\'s site the same too?

[tumnus]

Sharp\'s ROM already has a workaround for the bug in the CPU, but that\'s what causes the slowdown. The Special Kernel which is flashed on top of the Sharp or Zynergy ROM turns off the workaround without any apparent effect (Well I\'ve had problems with the VNC server, but others haven\'t although that\'s it).

[wizzard]

OK I updated to Sharp 1.32 ROM painlessly & without losing any data. But it is not clear to me if I need to flash the special kernel also. If flashing the special kernel is needed, then a step by step guide would be much appreciated (the instructions given on the update page couldn\'t penetrate my Windows reinforced skull).
Thanks

[tumnus]

It\'s the same process as the Sharp ROM update, but with only the updater.sh file from the ROM update and the zImage.bin from the ZUG downloads.