By Hal Goldstein
We at Thaddeus Computing, Inc., receive a flood of requests for support with the HP 200LX as well as its predecessors, the HP 95LX and the HP 100LX. Sometimes the questions are simple and we can answer them from our own experience. Other times the questions involve third party products, some of which we sell and some that we don't (e.g., cell phones, GPS tracking devices, etc.) We'd like to be able to answer all these questions but, due to limited resources, we cannot.
Fortunately, over the years, Hewlett-Packard, Thaddeus Computing, Inc. and independent experts have come up with a set of documents and interactive services to support HP 200LX users. What follows is a listing and description of those documents and services.
We have focused on the HP 200LX. However, the documents and services also contain information that is relevant to the users of the HP 100LX and HP 95LX.
Support in Print
1. HP 200LX Quick Start Guide
Dive into all the built-in applications. Definitely worth reading when you first get a 200LX. Availability: Comes with new HP 200LX: may be purchased separately at http://www.palmtoppaper.com
2. HP 200LX Users Guide
In depth reference of HP 200LX hardware and built-in software. (Doesn't include DOS or 1-2-3 information, but see below for supplemental guides).
Availability: Comes with new HP 200LX: may be purchased at http://www.palmtoppaper.com . Available electronically on HP Palmtop Paper CD InfoBase.
3. HP 100/200LX Developer's Guide
This package contains what you need to know to write software, design hardware, and understand the inner workings of the Palmtop. Comes with a disk of HP and User developed, C source code. Availability: Purchase at http://www.palmtoppaper.com . Available electronically on HP Palmtop Paper CD InfoBase.
4. PC in your Pocket: How the organizing power of the Hewlett-Packard Palmtop PC will make you more effective!
Useful, practical, fun to read book full of palmtop user's ideas for how to make the best use of the HP Palmtop. Availability: Purchase at http://www.palmtoppaper.com . Available electronically on HP Palmtop Paper CD InfoBase.
5. MicroREF Quick Reference Lotus 1-2-3 and DOS 5 Guides
The HP manuals do not supply complete documentation for either Lotus 1-2-3 or DOS 5. These guides summarize all features in both programs. Availability: Purchase at http://www.palmtoppaper.com . Available electronically on HP Palmtop Paper CD InfoBase.
6. HP Palmtop Paper
Jammed with ideas, tips, reviews and insights on how to make the most of HP 200LX.
Archives available at http://www.palmtoppaper.com and electronically on HP Palmtop Paper CD InfoBase
7. Manuals and printed documentation that come with third-party software.
Obvious as it seems, this source is often overlooked.
Electronic on Electronic Media
8. HP Palmtop Paper 2000 CD InfoBase
One CD jammed full of knowledge and software. The 2000 CD Infobase contains most of printed documentation listed in points 1 through 7 above. It also contains over 1000 pieces of software and support files (including most listed below). It contains a complete guide to Lotus 1-2-3 including tips, templates and tutorials. A second CD is included and contains over 1800 pieces of great literature and historical documents, each or which can be read on the HP Palmtop.
Availability: Purchase at http://www.palmtoppaper.com .
9. Online Help
Be sure to use the help feature in the HP 200LX built-in applications and other software that works on the palmtop. Quite often you will find the description of the function you are looking for. Online help is available by pressing the F1 function key in all the built in applications.
10. Readme and other DOC, TXT, and HELP files
For other software, be sure to check the master disk or CD for documentation. Usually, README files are the first place to start. Also many of the DOS applications have built in help files.
11. Notetaker Tips file
There is a LOT of good information in a Notetaker file built into every HP 200LX. Load D: \_DAT\NOTES. NDB into Notetaker.
12. Help files on www.palmtop.net
The following files can be found at http://www.palmtop.net (or from http://www.palmtoppaper.com/free.htm) by searching on a key word. Almost all these files are also on The HP Palmtop Paper CD Infobase
a. Lotus 1-2-3 Commands (5 KB) by Stuart Pollack
A handy, text reference of Lotus 1-2-3 commands written by an expert. Enhances the online help in Lotus. Free.
b. 123hlp (61 KB) by Donald Collins and Avi Meshar
123hlp is a collection of worksheets and a database to help HPLX Lotus 123 users with functions and macros. Freeware.
c. Basic EXM (4 KB) by The Palmtop Network
BASIC EXM is a little EXM with included source code to help get you started with EXM programming. Freeware.
d. Check Integrity of Database files (8 KB) by Curtis Cameron
The DBCHECK program finds corruption of your data files. It can be used in a DOS batch file to prevent backing up a file with corruption, so that your good backup isn't overwritten with a corrupted file. Or you can use it from the DOS command line to inspect a file whenever you want. Freeware.
e. Garlic (15 Kb) by Andy Gryc
GARLIC is a HP 100/200LX database reconstructor. It scans a corrupt database for any recognizable records and puts them into a new file. Freeware.
g. TIPS and DOS HELP (417 KB) Ed Keefe
Three GDB database files. BTIPS and QTIPS contains all the Basic and Quick Tips from the pages of The HP Palmtop Paper from 1993 through 1998. DOSHELP contains all the text from the missing DOSHELP for version 5.0 of MS-DOS along with some help for version 6.22 commands and a lot of other DOS stuff. Freeware.
Human
13. HP 200LX email list (Recommended)
Al Kind of University of Connecticut hosts a great service for HP Palmtop users, an email list. Users send questions, comments, and answers about the HP 200LX by replying or sending email to HPLX-L@UCONNVM.UConn.Edu. 200LX users all over the world receive that email. With so many active, interested users, most questions and problems are solved within a day if not a few hours. The only problem is that the list is quite active which means you'll find over 50 new emails in your inbox each day if you don't set up things properly. The trick is to use your email program's capability to automatically send all email to a folder. That lets you choose the best time to look at the HP 200LX related emails and examine just the subjects that interest you. For example, in Microsoft Outlook, start Tools Rule wizard. If you don't want to receive regular email, archives are available for download.
Available: http://www.sp.uconn. edu/~mchem1/HPLX.shtml Free.
14. Thaddeus computing email and phone support
We are able to support only the products we sell. We strongly recommend the email list above, since there are a much larger number of problem solvers (fellow users) with a lot more collective experience to help you find the best possible solution. If you do contact us, please email us before calling us with your problem. In most cases we can help you more effectively via email.
Email: support@thaddeus.com. Phone: 515-472-1683 8:30 to 4:30 CST.
15. HP tech support
HP support is available for questions specifically about HP 200LX hardware, the built-in applications, and the HP connectivity kit.
Phone: 970 635 1000 7am and 7pm for tech support. 800-443-1254 for general information.
Web Site Support
16. www.palmtoppaper.com
Features an HP 200LX store, 8.5 years of searchable archives of The HP Palmtop Paper, technical support documents and information (coming in Fall 2000), direct access to palmtop downloads, and an electronic version of The HP Palmtop Paper (starting Fall 2000). If the search engine doesn't seem to be working, try again later. It means that the file server is busy reindexing the site, a process that can take from 2 to 4 hours. Reindexing happens whenever the Webmaster makes a change to the Web site. By the time you read this, we should have a much improved search engine installed. The www.palmtoppaper.com Web site also has a page of links to other 200LX related Web sites as well as links to sites on the HP 200LX Web Ring.
17. www.palmtop.net
A huge library of downloadable software and support documents for the HP 200LX. Fast search engine makes finding what you want easy. Can be reached also from the "download" section of www.palmtoppaper.com.
18. www.hplx.net
Frequently Asked Questions, articles about the HP 200LX, around 20 affiliate HP 200LX web sites and much more.