Apple Newton Connection Utilities User Manual
1
Getting Started
This chapter describes how to connect your Newton device to your computer,
install the Newton Connection Utilities, and use the utilities to create your
first backup.
About the Newton Connection Utilities
With the Newton Connection Utilities, you can connect your Apple
MessagePad or other Newton device to your computer and do the following:
m Back up Newton information and store it on your computer.
m Install packages (applications, system updates, and so on) on your
Newton device.
m Use your computer’s keyboard to enter information on your Newton device.
m Import information from your computer to your Newton device and export
information from your Newton device to your computer.
m Import information from your computer to your Newton Works application
on your Newton device and export Newton Works information from your
Newton device to your computer. (Not available if you’re using the
Newton 2.0 operating system.)
m Keep your applications synchronized by updating information on both your
computer and your Newton device.
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m Automatically back up and synchronize your information when you
connect your Newton device to your desktop computer using the
Auto Dock feature. (Not available if you’re using the Newton 2.0
operating system.)
The Newton Connection Utilities work with the Newton 2.0 and 2.1 operating
system. If your Newton device has the Newton 2.0 operating system, the
Auto Dock feature, transferring information to and from Newton Works.
Installation requirements
To use the Newton Connection Utilities, you need the following:
m An IBM PC or compatible computer with an Intel 80486 DX2166 or later
version microprocessor
m A VGA display or better
m Windows 3.1, Windows NT 3.5x, or Windows 95
m 8 megabytes (MB) of total RAM
m A hard disk drive with 12 MB of available disk space
m An available serial (COM) port
m A serial cable (9-pin or 25-pin corresponding to the available serial port).
This cable is not included with the Newton Connection Utilities package.
See “Connecting a Newton Device to Your Computer,” next, for more
information about obtaining a cable. If you have a MessagePad 2000, you
also must have the Newton Serial Adapter that comes with the
MessagePad.
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Chapter 1
Connecting a Newton device to your computer
Before you can transfer information between the PC and your Newton device,
you need to connect the two machines with a serial cable. The Newton
Connection Utilities communicate with the Newton device through a serial
port on your PC.
PC serial ports come in two sizes—9-pin or 25-pin. On some computers a
serial port may be labeled COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, or SERIAL.
9-pin serial port If your computer has a 25-pin serial port,
you can use an adapter to connect.
To connect your Newton device to your PC, you need a serial cable with an
8-pin to 9-pin connector. If your computer’s serial port has a 25-pin
connector, you also need a 9-pin to 25-pin adapter.
If you don’t have the serial cable you need, you can purchase one from an
Apple-authorized dealer.
Attaching the cable
To connect your Newton device and PC by cable, follow these steps:
1 Turn off your computer and your Newton device.
2Choose an available serial port on your PC.
3Connect the end of the cable with 9 holes to the appropriate port on your PC.
If you have a 25-pin serial port, attach the adapter to the cable. Then plug the
larger end of the adapter into the serial port.
Getting Started
3
4Plug the other (eight-pin) end of the serial cable into the Newton InterConnect port (or
Communication port).
If you are using a MessagePad 2000, you must use the Newton Serial Adapter
to connect your cable to the Newton InterConnect port. Be sure to connect
the cable to the serial adapter first and then connect the adapter to your
MessagePad 2000. Otherwise your MessagePad may not establish a
connection properly.
Serial ports
Newton device
communication port
Serial cable
That’s it! You’ve connected your Newton device to your computer.
Installing the Newton Connection Utilities
Before your computer can communicate with your Newton device, you need
to install the Newton Connection Utilities on your computer. You’ll need the
disks that came with this manual.
The Newton Connection Utilities installation program, Setup.exe, installs the
Newton Connection Utilities software. For more information about the files
installed on your computer, see the Readme file that’s installed with the
Newton Connection Utilities software.
4
Chapter 1
To install the Newton Connection Utilities software, follow these steps:
1 Insert the
2 In Windows 95, click the Start button and then select Run. (If you’re in the Program
Manager of Windows, select Run from the File menu.)
IMPORTANT
Setup 1
disk for the Newton Connection Utilities into a floppy disk drive.
The illustrations used in this manual show the Windows 95
versions of the application. If you are using a different version of Windows,
the windows you see may look different, but the procedures are the same.
A window appears.
3Type A:\Setup and press Enter.
Enter the drive letter (usually A: or B:) corresponding to the disk drive that
holds the installation disk.
4 Follow the on-screen instructions.
Depending on the version of Windows that you’re using, you may be asked to
restart Windows. When installation is complete, the Newton Connection
Utilities program group appears in the Explorer or Program Manager, and
the Newton Connection Utilities program (Ncu.exe) is installed in the
NCU directory.
IMPORTANT
Don’t move the Newton Connection Utilities software or Backups
directory from the NCU directory. The application and Backups directory
must remain in this location to create backup files automatically. You can
change the location where backup files are stored from within the Newton
Connection Utilities, using the Settings command in the Newton menu. See
“Changing the Location of the Backups Directory” in Chapter 2, “Backing
Up and Restoring Information.” If you’re running Windows 95, you can also
use a shortcut to access the application from a different location.
Getting Started
5
Preparing your computer
To prepare your computer for communication with a Newton device, follow
these steps.
Opening the Newton Connection Utilities
To open the utilities, follow these steps:
1 On your computer, open the Newton Connection Utilities program group and double-
click the Newton Connection Utilities icon.
The Newton Connection Utilities window appears on your computer.
Newton Connection
Utilities menus
Buttons are dimmed
until you establish a
connection from your
Newton device.
Displays connection
messages and other
information
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Chapter 1
Next a window appears explaining that you must make some communications
settings to complete your setup.
2Click OK and continue following the procedure in “Selecting the Type of Connection on
Your Computer,” next.
Selecting the type of connection on your computer
The first time you use the Newton Connection Utilities, you need to specify
how the Newton device is connected to your computer.
Note: If the Settings window already appears on your screen, skip to step 2.
1 To open the Settings window, choose Settings from the Newton menu.
2Click the Communications tab.
3Select the COM port to which the Newton’s serial cable is connected, using the “Select
Port to Listen On” drop-down list.
If the port is already in use by another device, its name will not appear in
the list.
Note: If you have trouble establishing or maintaining a connection between
your computer and Newton device, you may need to select a lower
communication speed. See “Problems Establishing a Connection” in
Chapter 12, “Troubleshooting.”
4 Click OK.
The type of connection you select is saved and remains set until you decide to
change it.
Getting Started
7
Preparing your Newton device
Before you use the Newton Connection Utilities, you need to tell your
Newton device how it is connected to the computer.
IMPORTANT
Make sure you follow the setup instructions on your Newton
device to enter your name and other owner information. The computer uses
this name when it creates a backup file. See your Newton device user’s
manual to learn how to enter your name. Also, it’s a good idea to name the
storage cards you use with your Newton device.
Selecting the type of connection on your Newton device
1 Tap Dock on your Newton screen.
Note: If you have a MessagePad 120 or 130 that uses the Newton 2.0
operating system, you use the Connection application in the Extras Drawer to
select a connection type and establish a connection. On your Newton screen,
tap Extras E , then tap Connection. You may have to show all icons to see the
Connection icon. (Tap the Extras folder tab and then tap All Icons.) Then
follow the remaining steps in the procedures for selecting settings and
establishing a connection provided here.
A slip appears showing the type of connection currently set for your
Newton device.
Tap to select another
type of connection.
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Chapter 1
Shows the type of connection
set for your Newton device
2If necessary, tap “Connect via” to change the type of connection and choose Serial.
Establishing a connection
After you select the type of connection, you need to establish a connection
between your Newton device and your computer.
m
Tap Connect in the Dock or Connection slip.
Slip for a
serial connection
Tap here to connect.
After a few moments, the connection is established. The buttons in the
Newton Connection Utilities window are no longer dimmed.
Click to install a package
on your Newton device.
Click to update
information on both
your Newton device
and your computer.
Click to back up
Newton information
and save it on your
computer.
Click to restore
information you’ve
backed up.
Click to import
information from your
computer to your
Newton device.
Click to use your computer’s
keyboard to enter information
on your Newton device.
Click to export information
from Newton Works to your
computer.
Click to export information from
your Newton device to your
computer.
Click to import information
from your computer to
Newton Works.
Getting Started
9
Newton Connection Utilities buttons also appear on your Newton screen.
You can use these buttons to select a utility. (However, exporting and
transferring information to or from Newton Works are available only from
your computer.)
Note: For simplicity, the instructions in this book describe using the Newton
Connection Utilities from your computer, but you can also start the utilities
from your Newton device. See Chapter 11, “Using the Utilities From Your
Newton Device,” for more information.
Creating your first backup
After you establish a connection, you can make a backup of information and
packages on your Newton device and store it on your computer.
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Backing up your Newton device provides a safe way to store information in
case it gets lost or deleted by mistake. It’s a good idea to back up your Newton
device before you import, export, or synchronize information.
To create your first backup, follow these steps:
1Click the Backup button in the Newton Connection Utilities window.
Chapter 1
Because this is your first backup, the Newton Connection Utilities
automatically create a full backup of all your Newton information and
packages. If you have a storage card inserted in your Newton device,
information on the storage card is also backed up.
During the backup, a status window appears on your computer screen to
show what information is being backed up.
After a few minutes, the window disappears and the backup is complete.
2Check to see the Backups directory on your computer.
When you back up your Newton device, a backup file for your Newton’s
internal memory and one for any storage card that’s inserted are created and
placed in a directory named Backups. By default, the Backups directory is
located in the NCU directory.
For more information about backup files and directories, including how to
change the location of the Backups directory, see Chapter 2, “Backing Up and
Restoring Information.”
Setting a connection password
If desired, you can set a connection password for the Newton Connection
Utilities. This password prevents others from using the Newton Connection
Utilities without your permission.
To set a connection password, follow these steps:
1 Open the Newton Connection Utilities and select Settings from the Newton menu.
The Settings window appears.
Getting Started
11
2 Click the Password tab.
The password options appear.
3Type your old password, if you set one, in the Old Password box. If you haven’t set a
password, leave this box blank. Type a new password in the New Password box. Then
type the new password again in the Confirm New Password box to verify the spelling of
the new password.
4 Click OK.
The window disappears.
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The next time you establish a connection between your Newton device and
your computer, a prompt appears on your Newton device asking you to enter
your desktop connection password.
Note: The password you enter for the Newton Connections Utilities is not the
same as the Personal Identification Number (PIN) you enter on your
Newton device.
Chapter 1
Setting up for Auto Dock
You can set up the Newton Connection Utilities to automatically back up or
synchronize your Newton device when it’s connected to your computer. (The
Auto Dock feature is not available on Newton devices that use the Newton 2.0
operating system.)
To set up Auto Dock, follow these steps:
1 Open the Newton Connection Utilities and select Settings from the Newton menu.
The Settings window appears.
2 Click the Auto Dock tab.
The Auto Dock options appear.
Getting Started
13
3Select the options you want.
m Click the Backup checkbox to indicate that you want to back up all the
information on your Newton device during an Auto Dock session.
m Click the Allow Selective Backup checkbox to indicate that you want to
select the information to back up during an Auto Dock session.
m Click the Synchronize checkbox to have the Newton Connection Utilities
perform a synchronization.
You can have the Newton Connection Utilities perform both a backup and a
synchronization by selecting both options.
4 Click OK.
The window disappears.
To turn on Auto Dock, you must also set preferences on your Newton device.
5 On your Newton device, tap Dock, tap the Information button
appears, tap Prefs
.
; ,
and in the list that
A slip appears.
6 Tap the Auto Dock checkbox.
You can also select the checkbox labeled “Always backup all information” to
have your Newton device back up all your information during an Auto Dock
session. If this box is not checked, a slip appears when you dock that allows
you to back up selected applications using your connection software.
7 Tap Xto close the slip.
To turn on Auto Dock, you must also make settings in the Prefs „ area of
your Newton device.
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Chapter 1
8Tap Extras E, and then tap Prefs „.
9Tap Auto Dock in the Preferences slip.
10 Tap the checkbox labeled “Enable Auto Docking” to select it.
11 Tap all Xicons to close the slips.
To perform an Auto Dock session, start up the Newton Connection Utilities.
Next connect the cable (and Newton Serial Adapter, if you have a
MessagePad 2000) to your Newton device. A slip appears on the Newton
device that enables you to begin the Auto Dock procedure. The Newton
Connection Utilities perform a backup or synchronization according to your
selected preferences.
Exiting the Newton Connection Utilities
To end a connection and exit the Newton Connection Utilities:
m Select Exit from the File menu on your computer screen.
The connection ends and the Newton Connection Utilities window
disappears.
You can also end a connection from your Newton device by tapping the close
box (marked X ) next to the Newton Connection Utilities buttons.
Getting Started
15
2
Backing Up and Restoring Information
The previous chapter described how to use the Newton Connection Utilities
to create your first backup. This chapter describes how to do additional
backups and how to restore information you’ve backed up.
About backup files
It’s important to back up your Newton information. Backup files provide a
safe way to store a copy of information in case the original gets lost or deleted
by mistake.
With the Newton Connection Utilities you can back up all information on
your Newton device or you can choose information to back up.
The first time you create a backup, the Newton Connection Utilities back up
all information on your Newton device (including any storage cards you’ve
inserted) and store the information in a directory named Backups in the
NCU directory.
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Inside the Backups directory is a file with a name derived from the owner’s
name you entered on your Newton device. This file contains the latest backup
information. If you haven’t entered an owner name on your Newton device,
the file is called Newton.
By default, the Backups directory is located in the NCU directory. You can
change the location of this directory. See “Changing the Location of the
Backups Directory” later in this chapter.
Backing up cards
When you back up a storage card, a separate backup file is created with the
name of the card. If you haven’t named your card, the file is called Card.nbk.
If you back up more than one unnamed card, the backup files are named
Card.nbk, Card2.nbk, Card3.nbk, and so on.
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Note: To avoid potential confusion and loss of information, you should name
your storage cards. For more information on naming storage cards, see the
user’s manual that came with your Newton device.
Previous backups
Every time you back up, the Newton Connection Utilities make a copy of the
previous backup file and store it in a directory called Previous located in your
Backups directory.
For example, if the owner’s name for your Newton device is Mike Chen, the
Newton Connection Utilities create a file named Mike_Chen.nbk the first time
you back up. The next time you back up, the Newton Connection Utilities
copy the original file and place it in the Previous directory within the
Backups directory. Then the utilities create a new backup, again called
Mike_Chen.nbk.
The Newton Connection Utilities maintain a current and previous backup file
for all information in your Newton device’s internal memory and for each
storage card you back up.
Chapter 2
Creating backup files
You can back up all information and packages on your Newton device, or you
can just back up selected information and packages. The following section
describes how to back up all information. To back up selected information
and packages, see “Backing Up Selected Information and Packages” later in
this chapter.
Backing up all information and packages
Before you begin, make sure your Newton device is connected to your
computer. For instructions, see Chapter 1, “Getting Started.”
To back up all information on your Newton device, follow these steps:
1 On your computer, open the Newton Connection Utilities.
To open the Newton Connection Utilities, double-click the Newton
Connection Utilities icon in the Explorer.
2Establish a connection from your Newton device.
See Chapter 1, “Getting Started,” for instructions.
3 On your computer, click the Backup button.
Backing Up and Restoring Information
19
A window appears with a list of items to back up.
List of information on your Newton device.
To see more items on the list, use the scroll bars.
Select to include all packages (including
packages from other software publishers) in
the backup.
Note: When you back up your Newton device for the first time (no backup
file exists), this window doesn’t appear. Instead, a full backup of the Newton
device begins as soon as you click Backup.
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4 Click Select All.
Select All selects all information. If a Clear All button appears instead of
Select All, all information is already selected.
5Click the box labeled “Include all packages” to put a mark in it.
Doing so will select all your packages for backup.
6Click Backup.
A status window appears indicating a backup is in progress. Messages in the
window show what information is being backed up.
When the window disappears, the backup is complete.
Chapter 2
Backing up selected information and packages
In general, it’s a good idea to back up all information on your Newton device.
However, if you’ve only added information to one or two applications, you can
select specific applications and information to back up. For example, you can
choose to back up only the information in your Newton Dates application.
Ty pically, selective backup is faster than backing up all information and
packages. When you selectively back up information, the new information is
added to your most recent backup file and your previous backup file
doesn’t change.
WARNING
If you selectively back up, be careful when you restore
information. You may lose information that has not been backed up.
Apple recommends you restore only from a backup that includes all
information and packages. See “Restoring Information and Packages”
later in this chapter.
To back up selected information on your Newton device, follow these steps:
1 Open the Newton Connection Utilities and establish a connection.
See Chapter 1, “Getting Started,” for instructions.
Backing Up and Restoring Information
21
2 On your computer, click the Backup button.
A window appears with a list of information to back up.
Select this box to
include all packages
(including packages
from other software
publishers) in the
backup.
3Select the information to back up.
4Click Backup.
Select the information
you want to back up.
To select an item to back up, click the box next to it so that you see a
checkmark. Only checkmarked items are backed up.
A status window appears indicating a backup is in progress. Messages in the
window show what information is being backed up.
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When the window disappears, the information you selected is added to your
latest backup file.
Chapter 2
Backing up a storage card
You can use the Newton Connection Utilities to back up the contents of a
storage card.
To back up a storage card, follow these steps:
1 Insert the storage card into your Newton device.
2 Open the Newton Connection Utilities and establish a connection.
3Click Backup.
The Backup window appears. The bottom of the window includes a list of
cards currently inserted in your Newton device.
Select the information
you want to back up.
Select to back
up a card.
4Make sure the card you want to back up is selected.
5Click Backup.
To select an item to back up, click the box next to it so that you see a
checkmark.
A backup file with the name of the card appears in your Backups directory.
Backing Up and Restoring Information
23
Changing the location of the Backups directory
By default, the Backups directory is originally created in the NCU directory
on your computer.
You can create a Backups directory in another location:
1 Open the Newton Connection Utilities.
2Choose Settings from the Newton menu.
The Settings window appears.
3Click the General tab.
The General options appear.
Shows the current
location of the
Backups directory
Click to change the location
of the Backups directory.
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4Click the Browse button and select a new location for your Backups directory.
5 Click OK.
The new location you specified is saved and the window disappears. From
now on, when you back up your Newton device, the backup files will appear
in the directory location you chose. The original Backups directory and its
contents do not change.
Note: To avoid confusion, you may want to remove or rename older backup
files you’ve stored in other locations.
Chapter 2
Restoring information and packages
If something goes wrong and you lose information on your Newton device,
you can restore information from the latest backup file on your computer.
You can restore all information in a backup file or choose specific
information to restore. You can also restore information from storage cards
you’ve backed up.
WARNING
Restoring replaces information on your Newton device with
information from a backup file on your computer. Make sure you
select the correct information to restore or you may lose information
you need.
Before you begin, make sure your Newton device is connected to your
computer. For instructions, see Chapter 1, “Getting Started.”
To restore information, follow these steps:
1 Open the Newton Connection Utilities and establish a connection.
2Click the Restore button.
Backing Up and Restoring Information
25
3 In the window that appears, select the file that contains the information you want
Select the latest
backup file for your
Newton device.
to restore.
Note: With the Newton Connection Utilities, you can restore information
from a card backup file only to a card. You cannot restore information from a
card backup file to your Newton’s internal memory.
WARNING
If you selectively back up, be careful when you restore
information. You may lose information that has not been backed up.
Apple recommends you restore only from a backup that includes all
information and packages.
26
Chapter 2
4 Click Open.
Select the information
you want to restore.
You see a list of information and packages that can be restored. You can
choose items to restore or you can restore all the items. To select an item,
click the box next to it so that you see a checkmark.
List of information to restore.
To see more items in the list,
use the scroll bar.
Select the packages
you want to restore.
5Select the items you want to restore.
6Click Restore.
List of packages to restore
A message appears asking you to confirm that you want to restore
information from your computer onto your Newton device.
Backing Up and Restoring Information
27
7 Click OK.
Information you selected is restored to your Newton device. A status window
on your computer keeps you informed of the progress.
When you restore, only information and packages on your Newton device that
correspond to information and packages in the backup file are replaced. For
example, if your backup file contains Names and Dates, and your Newton
device contains Names, Dates, and Notes, the Names and Dates files on your
Newton device are replaced by the Names and Dates information from the
backup file, but the Notes file on your Newton device is not replaced.
When the restoration is complete, a message appears on your Newton screen
asking you to restart.
8Tap Restart.
Your Newton device restarts.
Note: If you have a personal identification number (PIN) assigned to your
Newton device, the number is not restored. You’ll need to assign a new PIN.
For more information on assigning a PIN, see the user’s manual that came
with your Newton device.
Tips on managing backups
The following tips can help you back up and restore files on your
Newton device.
m If you’re using more than one computer, you can set up a central location
m You can copy backup files and rename them (or store them in a separate
28
Chapter 2
for backup files. That way, you’ll always know where the latest backup files
are located. See “Changing the Location of the Backups Directory” earlier
in this chapter.
directory) to prevent them from being replaced by later backups. This is
useful for managing or storing different sets of information.
3
Installing Packages
This chapter describes how to use the Newton Connection Utilities to
install packages.You can install packages on your Newton device or on a
storage card.
Installing a package on your Newton device
A package is a special file that adds features to your Newton device.
Examples of packages include applications, electronic books, and system
updates.
Before you begin, make sure your Newton device is connected to your
computer. For instructions, see Chapter 1, “Getting Started.”
IMPORTANT
your Newton device. Nothing is erased.
To install a package, follow these steps:
1 Insert the floppy disk containing the package into your computer.
If the package is already on your computer’s hard disk, skip this step.
2 On your computer, double-click the Newton Connection Utilities icon in the Explorer or
Program Manager.
The Newton Connection Utilities window appears on your computer.
The package you install is added to the information already on
29
3 On your Newton device, establish a connection.
See Chapter 1, “Getting Started,” for instructions.
4Click the Install Package button.
5 In the window that appears, select the package you want to install and click Open.
30
The package is installed on your Newton device. A status window on your
computer keeps you informed of the progress.
Note: If you stop a package installation, the connection between your Newton
device and your computer ends. You'll need to reestablish the connection
from your Newton device.
Chapter 3
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