I created these on the Palm V, I have never tried it on anything other than a Palm V

Alarms – FAQ

Disclaimer.

Please note no liability for any damage caused blah blah blah. Put simply, if you wreck your pilot, It’s your problem, I will try to help (I know what it’s like to be pilotless) but I accept no liability.

If you have little or no experience of messing with pilot install, don’t touch this. It should cause no problems with your Pilot, but if, like me, you have been messing with computers for years, then BACKUP first.

I have included a route back, if you read the FAQ the ability to restore your pilot before changes is included.

If you don’t use BackupBuddy then you are sailing on the thin edge of disaster. Buy it, you only need one Pilot failure to realise how much you need it. www.backupbuddy.com or through www.palmgear.com .

Alarms – How to install.

Make a backup copy of your System_Midi_sounds.PDB. (This file is located in the backup directory, located in the PalmDesktop installation directory, under your username. i.e. on my system, this would be D:\pilotdata\SlaterR\Backup.)

To see if your pilot will work, look in the backup directory under the <user> directory that Pilot Desktop is installed in. If you have a file called System_Midi_sounds.PDB then it should work, all you need to do is unzip the file and double click the System_Midi_sounds.PDB file (within windows) to then HotSync to install. When you Double click the System_Midi_sounds.PDB you should get the Pilot Install confirmation dialog box, if your don’t then it is possible that your Pilot Desktop software is not installed correctly.

If you don't have the System_Midi_sounds.PDB file then it is unlikely that the OS you are using supports the midi features required for these new alarms. Midi Alarms require PalmOs 3+.

These midi files are single channel, single voice, monophonic midi files created using any basic midi editing software. The midi files are incorporated into the System_Midi_sounds.PDB using Palm Midi which can be downloaded from the PilotGear web site, just search for Palm Midi.

To ‘Activate’ the new midi alarms go to datebook, Options, Preferences, where you can select Alarm Sounds.

What applications use Palm Alarms, how do I get the app to use them?

The only ones I have tested are DateBk3 & ToDo Plus (both apps are must a have for any Palm user.)

For any application hunt under the menus for anything related to system sounds. In ToDo plus use the Options Preferences menu command. In DateBk3 V3.0q it’s under Options Alarm Preferences.

I hate the new alarms, take me back, take me back!

You did make a backup copy of the System_Midi_sounds.PDB didn’t you?. If you did, look in your pilotinstall directory i.e for me: D:\pilotdata\SlaterR\Backup where you should find the original System_Midi_sounds.PDB.

You didn’t? Lucky for you I have included a route back. Within this archive is a file called BACKUP_System_Midi_sounds.PDB. (This is the original file from my pilot and would probably be the same as your original file, unless of course you have installed some other midi alarms, in which case I can’t help you).

Extract this file to a known location.

Double click on it, Pilot Install Tool should recognise it and bring up the "Confirm install" selection dialogue, click OK.

Hotsync your pilot and viola your pilot has passed back in time.

Checkout the other alarm collections in the series :

Palm Alarm Collection 1 (Film, TV, SciFi) $10

Any problems, email me rods@creationzone.demon.co.uk