On August 21, 2001, Xircom (which was purchased by Intel earlier this year) announced that they were going to take down their REX.NET service and discontinue the REX. From a CNET story:

"After several months of evaluating whether to continue the credit card-size handheld organizer, Intel decided the product did not fit with its plans, CNET News.com has learned. Intel acquired Rex as part of its acquisition of Xircom, which was completed in March.

Intel now plans to focus the former Xircom unit on making networking accessories for desktop PCs, laptops and other handhelds, including Palm's products, Intel spokesman Scott McLaughlin said Tuesday.

As part of the move, Intel also plans at the end of the month to discontinue the Rex.net service that kicked off last year in conjunction with the launch of the Rex 6000. . ."

For the complete story, see the CNET News web site. The story also notes that Intel was unable to "reach an acceptable deal" with other companies to sell the REX.

Here is the full text of the email from Xircom regarding the closure of REX.NET.

Intel has officially announced that they will no longer produce the REX. We have no idea what quantities still exist in the retail channel. or for how long it will continue to be available in stores. More to follow when/if we know more. Xircom will need to keep some quantity on hand for a while to support warranty requirements, of course.

"The worlds smallest full-function PDA." OK - you saw the picture on the home page of this site. The REX 6000 is a "micro PDA." Micro because it is the size of a PCMCIA card (which is about the size of a credit card). It's a PDA because it has 2 MB of flash memory and provides a touch screen for data entry/review on the go. You can sync contacts, calendar, task, and notes data between Outlook 97/98/2000 on your PC and the REX. See our REX History page for details on the REX family of micro PDAs.

The REX 6000 is available in both 1 MB and 2 MB versions outside the US - at least we haven't yet heard of any 1 MB REX 6000s sold in the US. For buyers outside the US it's probably a good idea to confirm which version you are getting before purchasing, especially if the price seems "too good." Again, in the US only the 2 MB version has been seen.

REX 1 MB and 2 MB models - an interesting issue around reporting installed memory. (From Radek)

"In my company, we have 20 REX 6000 (5 x 2MB version viz serial cradle & 15 x 1MB version with USB cradle).

Version 1MB & 2MB is one big mistake. My new REX6000 reported 1MB memory. After flashing firmware from your site, now reported 2MB memory. I mean, REX don't check size of memory, only reported size in the case of firmware version."

Strange - you can double your reported memory by updating your firmware if you have a 1 MB REX! A couple of considerations - there might be two firmware versions (1 MB and 2 MB) and Radek is correct that the memory report is simply hard-coded in the firmware. Other potential situations might include a broken memory read process in the firmware, so it always reports 2 MB, or is it possible that all REX's have 2 MB and the firmware on them controls how much of the memory is accessible?

See our REX 6000 vs. REX 5000 page for a feature comparison.

Here is an excellent site for REX 3/5Pro/5000/5001 users: (From Tice)

"You can find ALL programs (both Windows and Linux) for Rex 3/5 on my homepage."

The primary reasons would have to be size and size. The REX itself will fit (really fit, and leave room for serveral other things as well) in your shirt pocket, pants pocket (recommend front pocket only!) or many other small spaces. That means you'll actually be able to comfortably take it with you more often. A common statement from users of other PDAs (e.g., Palm Pilot sized) who converted to the REX is that they found that the REX small enough to actually keep with them most of the time, while their Palm tended to get left behind due to its larger size.

If you are a laptop user (and using any Windows OS except NT4), you won't need to have any cradles or other hardware with you to sync. The REX slips into a standard PCMCIA slot (also referred to as a PCCARD slot) for sync to your laptop.

Going on the road with the REX 6000 is simple - bring your REX and that's it.

The REX 6000 can also sync web content. This was formerly provided by Xircom, now it is provided by REX users who have created sites and tools to allow web sync - see our Web Sync page for details.

The REX 6000 can accept "add-in" programs to expand it's functionality - things like games, special function calculators (financial or scientific), and other productivity tools. There is an active developer community and in spite of the lack of an official SDK there are several unoffical SDKs available and numerous add-ins available. See our Add-in Programs and Programming/SDK pages for more info.

But mostly, it's so dang small that you can pretty much take it with you anywhere and forget about it until you need it.

Intel has discontinued it - that's one reason that may be enough for some. Though the REX is still available on the Internet, and Xircom has pledged to support it until user warranties end.

The REX 6000 is a "1.0" release (new as of Feb 15th, 2001) and does not have the wide range of support, hardware/software options, and stability/maturity of OS and sync software, etc. that the Palm has. (Come to think of it, no other PDA does either.) There are some issues (see the other sections of this FAQ and the Issues Page for more details) that can affect how useful the REX 6000 would be for you.

Palm and Windows CE sync software available supports a huge range of PIMs - the REX only supports Outlook officially. (Although there are options to expand that list - see our Sync Options page to read about sync with Lotus Notes, Lotus Organizer 5, Yahoo, multiple computers, etc.)

The Palm has add-ons options like modems, cameras, etc., etc. The Palm is hands-down the most popular PDA on the planet - if you want to be in the thick of things and can handle the larger size, Palm PDAs are the safest place to be these days.

If you are in a corporate environment with your PIM data stored on a server where others are adding appointments, tasks, etc. to your PIM file on the server, the issues with recurring appointments, tasks, and multi-day events might make the REX 6000 a problemmatic choice for you. Review our Known Issues page and the rest of this FAQ to make sure you understand the strengths and weaknesses of the REX 6000 as of the 1.01 software release.

REX Model summary:

• REX-3 (Franklin)
• REX 3000 (Xircom, but it was never manufactured, there is no card out there that says REX 3000).
• REX-Pro5 (Franklin)
• REX 5000 (Xircom's version of Franklin's Pro5)
• REX 5001 (No such real model. The box says 5001, but it's really a 5000 with a serial docking cradle).
• REX 5500 (a silver edition of the REX 5000)
  
  Here is a great site for users of all REX models before the REX 6000.
  
  
• REX 6000 (in 2 MB and 1 MB versions)
  
  The best site for the REX 6000 is here. :-)

REX user survey released on 7/25/01! (From Amiram)

"As promised, I posted the results of the Rex survey from my SoliRex download page at: http://www22.brinkster.com/rex6000/RexSurvey.htm

I didn't comment on the results, but some of them are quite interesting (albeit not very surprising) and should probably guide development efforts."

Unfortunately, the survey pages appear to be down as of 6/25/02!

The survery results are interesting and fun to review. One point sticks out - we are a bunch of geeks! Most of us (84%!) work in computer-related professions! Thanks to Amiram for sharing this info w/the REX community.

Amiram gathered this data as a requirement for downloading his Solirex add-in, the amazing add-in that is actually 8 games in one! If you're interested in getting Solirex (and every REX owner should be!) go to Amiram's Solirex page.

Read the reviews on PDA Buzz and form your own opinion. Here's one report from someone who tried one.

"I bought an Echo before the REX and returned it (the Echo) after 2 weeks. The gadget is terribly limited. Here is a list of its limitations:

• NO backlight
• It does not support any form of recurring appointments.
• Only 512kb of memory
• Screen resolution is awful. It has susbtantially less pixels than the REX.
• Touch screen is the cheapest you can find. It's a totally different technology than the one in the REX. The touch sensing is achieved by some soft film on top of the screen. By soft I mean that you can see and feel how the surface of the screen bends in as you press with the stylus. The surface feels like a cheap transparency.
• The alarm for an even only sounds at exactly the time when the event is set. You cannot make an alarm sound, say, 15 min before the event. If the event is, say, at 3pm, the alarm sounds at 3pm (no choice there). USELESS!!!
• The software that comes with it is a crappy freeware. I had huge problems installing it (it crashed like crazy). Had to install and unisntall it at least two times before it more or less worked. And it never worked properly.
• Can only sync with the useless provided *freeware* PIM. It doesn't even support Outlook, unless you want to pay $40 for the non-freeware version of the sync software.
• The address book has very few fields.
• Customer support is awful. Oregon Sci. *never* answered any of my e-mails. Xircom did answer one e-mail I sent them.

I could go on and on about the ECHO, but these are probably the main problems. I think the ECHO is a good gadget for somebody with a small and simple phone list, and a very simple schedule. Rafael"

Where can I:

• Find out more about the REX 6000?
• Talk to others about REX stuff
• Purchase REX stuff?
• Purchase a REX 6000?

See our Internet Resources page for a bunch of REX-related resources and discussion groups available on the Internet. Heck, see most of our web site for tons of information about the REX.

See our "REX and REX Stuff Vendors" link on the menu for sources for the REX and REX-related gear. (Sorry, no T-shirts. Yet.)

Yes! Sync on a Mac is possible w/Virtual PC. See our OS Page for more details.

Again - no official support. There are users out there who have developed Linux tools, even including a start an a Linux-based SDK!!

If you are a developer (or potential developer) see our Internet Resources page for information on joining the REX Developer mailing list.

See our Operating Sytems page for information on the available Linux tools

Here's one that looks pretty cool . . .

Could Citizen PDA be the next step for REXers? (From Myles)

Citizen has created (is creating?) a new PDA that looks like it received some of its DNA from the DS2! From the information on the web page it looks like is is called a "Wireless Datasync Card." Smaller than a palm, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound . . . currently only available in Japanese. :-(

Myles got the following somewhat intelligible text from the site using a web translation tool:

"you called " calendar " " address " " ToDo " " memo pad " " mail " " portable calculator " " worldwide clock " " web ", provides minimum necessary function for the PDA. It equips the feeble radio system of the 315mHz in the substance, if the range where radio wave reaches (2 - 3 meters) without placing in the cradle

You say you can adopt the lithium ion charge pond to the battery, 2 weeks can utilize with normality use. The OS loads citizen individual ones, stacks the memory of the 4m byte. Display 240×320 pixel, to build in the sidelight, indication of monochrome 16 gradation is possible. It does letter input with the software keyboard."

The following steps (listed in order of severity) will fix 90% of any general problems you experience with your REX. Give these at try!

1. Reset your REX. Use a straightened paperclip to press the tiny recessed button on the back of the REX. Kind of like Ctlr-Alt-Delete on a computer. Restarts the REX, doesn't affect any data or settings.
2. Replace your batteries! More than one user has found that their REX was not responding or behaving strangely until they replaced the batteries. If your REX is "turning itself off," or the screen is behaving strangely, or using the reset button results in a quick view of the startup screen and then it turns off, weak batteries are the most likely problem!
   
3. If your REX seems to sync but nothing is updated, go into your "Program FilesREX6000IntellisyncForRex" directory, and delete the files "tables.itb" and "tables.caf". Perform a full sync and see if the problem goes away. (From Greg)
4. Initialize your REX using REX Tools. This clears EVERYTHING off the REX (including add-in programs) and also removes your Intellisync configuration settings, but in some cases you have to go back to scratch to make things right. After initializing most people find their problems with syncing, or data corruption, or other strange behavior are cleared up.
5. Make sure your REX has an IRQ to itself. If you are getting a persistent yellow exclamation point in the System applet in Control Panel next to the "Standard PCMCIA Card Modem," (which is how Windows sees the REX) you may need to free up an IRQ for the REX. See here below for more on that.
6. Uninstall and reinstall the REX software on your computer. Painful, but if you don't follow Xircom's installation instructions exactly (particularly for USB users) you may have lots of problems. See the XP section on our OS Page for five suggestions from XP users trying to install the USB cradle! See here in the FAQ for additional Win 2K troubleshooting advice.
7. Try to reach the firmware update mode by pressing the Home key while pressing the Reset button on the back of the REX. Then you can insert the REX in your cradle/PCCARD slot and see if REX Tools can communicate with it. You could then refresh the firmware as a last-ditch effort.
   
   "I just reloaded my firmware...FYI - loading the firmware does not erase any data. It did erase the first two columns of addins in Adder, however, and I had to reload those." (From Greg)

If you cannot get the rex to respond in any of those modes, it may be time to return the REX to Xircom for a replacement.

Yes. You can password protect your REX, or any Memo on your REX.

To password protect your REX and/or a memo, you need to set a PIN on the REX:

1. Select Control Panel from the REX main menu
2. Select Security on the Control Panel menu
3. Select "Set Pin" on the Security Settings screen and enter and confirm your PIN

If you want to lock your entire REX:

1. Select "Prefs" on the Security Settings screen
2. Tap the field next to "Lock Rex" to select the time period to wait before the REX locks itself after use - choices range from 5 minutes to always locked after use. You can also leave it at the default setting - "Never" which means the REX will not lock itself after use. Use this setting if you only want to password protect individual memos.

To password protect a memo:

1. Complete the steps above to set a PIN on the REX
2. Open the memo you want to lock and select "Lock" from the bottom of the REX screen

Note: The "Lock" option will not appear when you open a memo until you have set a PIN. If you forget your PIN the only way you can get access to your REX again is to initialize it with REX Tools.

Netscape 4.x can corrupt raw REX files during a "save as..." operation!

Solution: Try downloading *.rex files with another browser (e.g. Internet Explorer) ... and continue using Netscape for everything else ;) (Thanks, Reinhard)

There are two versions of the REX 6000 on the market - with either 2 MB or 1 MB of installed memory. The vast majority of units out there are the 2 MB version. So far the 1 MB version has only been mentioned by users from Europe and Asia.

"I contacted Xircom European Tech support, and they said:

'There has been a rex 6000 with only 1MB before but we never put it on the market. Can you please tell me how much you paid for the rex and can you please send me a copy of the invoice to the following faxnumber: +32 70 233 305. Also mention your name and your casenumber.'

Now I'm waiting for definitive response from Xircom and from my seller (www.eprice.it) for a substitution of the REX6000." (Marco)

"I am from singapore. over here some shops are selling the 1 mb version of rex6000. I would like to ask you if the rex 6000 can be use immediately out of the box? How do i check its memory?" (Tony.)

To check the installed memory on your REX: 1) Tap the "Controls" icon on the Main Menu. Then tap the "Memory" icon in the Controls menu. The amount of memory (1 MB or 2 MB) will be displayed, along with the percentage currently used.

REX 1 MB and 2 MB models - an interesting issue around reporting installed memory. (From Radek)

"In my company, we have 20 REX 6000 (5 x 2MB version viz serial cradle & 15 x 1MB version with USB cradle).

Version 1MB & 2MB is one big mistake. My new REX6000 reported 1MB memory. After flashing firmware from your site, now reported 2MB memory. I mean, REX don't check size of memory, only reported size in the case of firmware version."

Kaj has confirmed Radek's findings:

"I recently bought a rex6000 w 1mb memory. After upgrading the firmware it started to report 2mb memory in the settings. Browsing the REX-FAQ on your site I read (at faq: “What is the REX 6000?) something about this strange issue. By then I decided to try what would happen if I would write more than 1 mb of data to the rex. I created about 1,5 mb of notes in ms outlook and started intellisync. Before even one note was written to the rex, intellisync reported that the amount of space nedded was more than available on the rex. After I reduced the notes size to 900kb, I successfully wrote them to the rex. After synchronization it reported a memory use of 99%. Thus it seems that the 2mb reported is no more than a hardcoded constant defined in the firmware."

Yes. See Myles' Add-in Download page and get the TinyDraw add-in. You can use it to view (bitmaps) or create (line drawings) pictures on the REX.

See our Add-ins and Other REX Programs page for Benjamin's REX picture tool - allows you to load great looking image files to your REX!

For those who prefer a more manual process, see Greg's REX site for detailed instructions on preparing graphics for viewing on the REX.

Use REX Tools to load graphics to the REX, using the File/Open command.

From Richard:

Background: I recently had a problem with my Rex 6000, using the intellisync via the PCMCIA slot on my HP Omnibook6000 with Win2000Pro. Problem: The screen would lock at the "Today Screen" (the one with the day's date, tasks, and appts) and was unable to power the Rex off or goto any other functions of the Rex.

Analysis: I called Cust Svc who asked if I had performed a soft reset and/or intialization*. I had, they were out of ideas, so they sent me a new Rex. The new Rex had the same problem. I was able to get the Rex to Sync via the serial cradle, but since that defeats the purpose (in my opinion) of having the PCMCIA functionality, I was determined to get it to work via the "slot".

I uninstalled and reinstalled Rex Tools (using the procedure on Rex.net) however, I only restored one .dat file at a time (saved in c:\program files\rex6000\pim\data\default) between syncing (restore address.dat then synch, then notes...) and noted that it was locking up after syncing when I copied my saved tasks.dat into the aforementioned directory. The only rationale I can come up with is that it was having trouble with some of my way overdue tasks (you know how the low priority ones sit for months).

The Fix:

1. Delete all tasks using Mobile Desktop,
2. Intialize*
3. Sync
4. You will then have to readd some tasks (I would stick to the current ones).

*The only way I could get the Rex to intialize was to perform a soft reset and then slip it into the slot while it was "booting up" praying that I could get RexTools to intialize the Rex before it locked up again (helps if you hold the left shift key while punching up RexTools). Hope this helps if you are experiencing the same problems."

When you start REX Tools holding down the left shift key a dialog will appear with the following message: "Couldn't receive information from on REX 6000. You can update the current information later." There is an OK and Cancel button. Click the OK button.

Try initializing your REX using REX Tools. You will lose all the data on it, but you'll be able to start over and create a password you can remember.

From Steve:

"Hadn't posted in awhile due to work. I came across another source for screen protectors for a more reasonable price. Go to: www.cyberguys.com and order item no. 2150125 or 2150120. You get 12 protectors plus a cleaning cloth for $8.49. Or order item no. 2150130 or 2150135 and get 5 protectors plus cleaning cloth, and wet/dry wipes for just $4.99. The different item numbers reflect the protectors' size for different models of Palm. The lower-priced package will probably yield about 10 protectors if they are cut in half. Even with shipping, you will come out way ahead of the $20+ prices paid by others who've seen posted on this board."

Also see Greg's REX site for an option for using vinyl sheets as screen protectors. Info on a source from Greg below:

"I was just in Wal-Mart yesterday, and found that they sell bulk "medium-weight" clear vinyl sheeting for $0.87 a yard from a 54" roll. This means that you can get a 54"x36" sheet of vinyl sheeting for 87 cents. If you don't mind the cutting, this is an awful lot of PDA screen-protector material for really cheap!"

Not easy ones! From Marten:

"At my work we use Novell GroupWise; a rather nasty thing with exporting and synchronisation! My workaround for this -and maybe interesting for other REX-users-: within GroupWise I made a rule for every Task and Appointment which is made and/or send to me, in that rule I forward the Task and/or Appointment to my private mailbox. When I read my mail by Outlook I copy the -as mail attachments received- Task and/or Appointment documents to the appropriate Outlookfolder; manually I have to fill-in the start- and endtimes, alarms etc. However this procedure seems rather complex, in practice it is well done. In a few minutes I'm up and running! Further on it's a matter of keeping up your Outlook versus GroupWise. As soon as there would be a export facility available from GroupWise to Outlook things would be easy. But the products are competitive, so... if it ever happens? Maybe a challenge for somebody within the REX-community? "

From Elli:

'Try "Configure Dialogs" in the "Options" pull down of the RexTools application. It should work.'

The details. . .

To turn off the confirmations - go into Intellisync and click on the large "Configure" button.

You'll have to do the following for each type of data sync'd (e.g, Contact, Memo, Planner, and Task) that you want to change the warning setting for. Click on the data type (e.g., Contact) and then click the "Advanced" button. In the Advanced Settings dialog that appears you'll find a "Confirmation" tab that has two settings you can turn on or off:

• - Confirm Record Deletions
• - Confirm Record Changes and Additions

You can turn one or both of them on or off on that screen. The other tab "Conflict Resolution" has settings for what to do when there are conflicts between the REX and your PIM, so you can still get notified when there are changes to something on both your REX and your PIM.

The REX FAQ on the Xircom site states:

"Q: How much information can my REX 6000 hold? A: Your REX 6000 can simultaneously hold up to 2,500 contacts, 1,000 appointments, 100 tasks, 50 memos and still have plenty of memory to download web content from www.REX.net. The number of possible entries may be even higher based on the complexity of your entries."

Also, we have heard from one user about hitting the a limit for contacts - he was "only" able to get 4,211 contacts to sync to the REX.

"Here is my problem with rex6000. I was very happy with rex pro5. I had over 4500 tel entries in it. (Company phones). . . but the REX 6000 only managed to hold 4211 contacts."

For most REX users that will be more than enough contacts, of course. It is odd that he was able to get all of his contacts on the REX 5000, and not on the REX 6000.

From Tubalips:

"I wanted to minimize the "configure time" it takes when you sync the first time after an initialization. I actually guessed right the first time and came up with this very simple solution after talking with Xircom support.

First, when you configure after a reinitialization, you get two new folders in the Intellisync directory:

• Folder 1: a-very-long-number (let's call this A)
• Folder 2: same-very-long-number.CFG (call this A.CFG)

You will notice that the set of files from the previous "first configure" are also present. Let's call them A-1 and A-1.CFG . To restore your previous Configuration setup:

1. Go to the A-1.CFG folder and copy the ilsync.psf file to the A.CFG folder (copy over the existing copy).
2. Start Intellisync.
3. Check your configuration setup and it should be just as you left it the last time you synced before the reinitialization of the R6K.
4. QuickSync your R6K and you should get everything ported from your PIM to the R6K.

The only thing I cannot seem to get around is having to reload the Add-Ins (extras). This has only been tested with my PIM, Outlook 98."

Yes, you both can. From Bubba:

"On multiple users.... If you are using IS desktop, I'm not sure. My wife & I share a couple of computers (laptop & desktop) With Outlook, each user has a seperate outlook profile (WinNTProfilesnameApplication Date... Whomever is logged in to the computer gets their own outlook profile synced to the Rex. Only need one copy of IS for Rex loaded. Don't know if this helps. I've done this on NT, '98, and '95, not 2000 or ME."

This is a known issue. From Jerry:

"It is in the readme that gets installed with the sync software. Here is the quote:"

'Key Recognition: -After 38 characters, the user may experience a 'slow down' in key recognition. This occurs in all applications with an edit note screen.'

From Greg:

"When inputting text with the REX keyboard, the text entry slows down after about 38 characters. This is because the display runs out of room and starts to scroll with every keypress. The slowdown is due to the extra processing time required to scroll the display. The only workaround is to hit "OK", then immediately go back to the keyboard. You will have a fresh, clear display that will allow full-speed entry."

From Tubalips:

"After opening a memo, tap the "Modify" at the bottom of the screen. Then you can scroll by page (only down) by using the "enter" navigation button (the dot inside the circle) on the right side of the unit. When you are done reading, tap the "OK" rather than the "Cancel" as the latter seems to take substantially longer to take effect."

If you set up the REX software on a second computer, the first time you sync on that new computer you can get all data (including calendar events) off the REX and into Outlook.

So if you do one last sync from Outlook to your REX from the old computer, and then do a sync on your new computer, all you data will transfer.

You can do either of the following:

• Set conflict resolution in Intellisync configuration (under the "Advanced..." button on the configuration screen) to "REX6000 Wins" for the first sync on the new computer
• Leave conflict resolution set to "Notify me" (the default) and use the "resync" button if/when Intellisync tries to tell you it will delete stuff from the REX that's not on the new computer. In that case pressing resync gets Intellisync to ask you to confirm that you want to add data from the REX that isn't in Outlook.

Initializing:

• Deletes all the data on your REX, including PIM data, web content, and add-ins
• Updates the REX World Clock w/the contents of the REXWorldClock.csv file in your REX Tools directory (see our New User Setup page for more info on the REX World Clock)
• Removes configuration settings in Intellisync for REX

Initializing does not change your REX NET settings, and you won't need to re-install any programs.

Following an initialization you will need to:

• Go into Intellisync and reconfigure your sync settings - a couple of minutes of work
• Use REX Tools to re-install any add-ins you want on your REX

Not completely! (From Bart):

"I am a bit worried. I just found out that the data on my REX 6000 is NOT protected by a PIN. Sure, the REX allows you to enter a PIN to prevent access to the REX but it's really easy to get around it. Just follow these easy steps: 1) Power on, 2) Enter *any* PIN, 3) Answer "no," 4) power on, 5) tap a shortcut button at the bottom of the REX screen."

From B2:

"It appears that upon powerup, when the unit checks the time since the last power down, it *does* know whether the last powerdown followed an authorized PIN entry or not. However the unit does *not* seem to check the power down elapsed time if you tap a task-switcher-bar icon while the Enter PIN dialog is displayed. As a result, if the elapsed power off interval is less than the allowed amount, then upon powerup the Enter PIN dialog box is displayed but it can be circumvented by tapping the task-switcher-bar icons. So far, I have been unable to circumvent the Enter PIN dialog box in any way with the PIN timeout setting at ALWAYS. So until we learn otherwise, the lesson seems to be that if you want your REX 6000 to be fully secure, be prepared to enter the PIN each and every time you power it up.

BTW, that is the policy at many corporations who permit and facilitate corporate data storage on PDAs."

Try one (or maybe both) of these steps:

1. Reset your REX using the small recessed button on the back of the unit - you'll need a paperclip to press it.
2. Initialize your REX using REX Tools.

On both the REX 5000 in TrueSync Plus and w/the REX 6000 in Intellisync for REX you can control exactly what range of calendar events are sync'd to your REX.

You can choose pretty much any date-range you want. To set the range:

1. Insert your REX in the PCCARD slot or your sync cradle
2. Start Intellisync and select "Configure."
3. Click on "Planner" and click on the "Advanced..." button
4. In the "Advanced..." dialog there are controls for setting your Sync date range.

Intellisync for REX does not remove calendar entries from the REX that are outside the selected range if they are already on the REX. You will have to clear off the old calendar data via initializing and then sync again to get the dates restricted per your new settings.

Here's a summary of the two options:

• The USB and serial cradles are equivalent in sync speed.
• The USB requires installation of several drivers. The serial cradle works "out of the box."
• The serial cradle has an eject button, the USB cradle does not. (This is an issue raised by USB users concerned that the grip required to pull the REX from the USB cradle might damage the unit over time.)
• The serial cradle requires 4AAA batteries. The USB cradle runs off power of the PC.

The serial cradle is simpler and easier to use, and is the standard cradle offered with the REX 6000 for a good reason. For most systems (where a serial port is available) it is the best way to go.

What you get depends in part on when you buy it and from whom. There have been three REX cases provided by Xircom to date:

1. A simple plastic case open on one end that the REX can slide into, and has a cut-out to allow access to the navigation buttons. This case does not have a spot to hold the stylus. This is the plastic case that intially shipped w/the REX.
2. Leather "wallet style" case that has a spot for the REX, the stylus, and business cards and/or note paper. Included "free" with the REX. Although Xircom claims it is a limited-time offer, as of March 22nd they have been offering it since the REX 6000 was introduced in December of 2000.
3. "Designer" plastic case resembling the USB cradle in color and style. Open on one end to allow the REX to slide in. Has a stylus (different from the one in the wallet case) that slides into a slot at the top of the case.

We've got some comparison pics of the wallet and new plastic cases on our site on this page.

Eric has also assembled some for your viewing pleasure. See them at: http://www.ijack.net/rex/. Eric has shots of the wallet and plastic cases as well as another option - a simple PCCARD plastic case that has the virtue of keeping the REX safe in the smallest possible case. No room for a stylus, however.

For other case options, see our Internet Resources page.

Why isn't there an option on the REX to enter monthy or yearly recurring appointments - all I see on the list of options on the REX is:

• Daily
• Weekly
• Bi-weekly
• Monthly by day

You need to scroll down on the list to see the last two options:

• Monthly by date
• Yearly

Here's how one user dealt with this issue (thanks, Mark):

"I ordered my Rex 6000 from RCSeshop and it didn't come with a free leather case that I've seen mentioned on Xircom's website. I e-mailed Xircom and RCS, and got two different responses. The Xircom sales rep. pretty much said that I had to buy one, and my second e-mail mentioning that it was supposed to be free is still not answered.

RCS, though, pointed me at the following URL: http://www.xircom.com/rexwallet/ and said that I can get it there. I filled out the form and waiting for the case. It mentions that they are out of stock now, but hopefully will get them back in soon."

Kudos to RCSeShop (1.877.746.7727) for trying to help Mark solve his problem.

No. There is no volume control for the alarms on the REX 6000. The only settings are on or off.

To turn alarms on or off, go to "Sound" in the "Controls" section on the REX.

Press the left-SHIFT key when you start REX Tools. That will tell REX Tools to skip the read of the data on your REX and load REX Tools faster. After a bit a dialog will appear with the following message: "Couldn't receive information from on REX 6000. You can update the current information later." There is an OK and Cancel button. Click the OK button.

When you start REX Tools that way you can do everything you normally can except delete individual files on the REX.

Insert the REX into your cradle or PCCARD slot. Hold down the left SHIFT key on your PC keyboard while starting REX tools. This will omit the initial REX read and allow you to initialize your REX.

After a bit a dialog will appear with the following message: "Couldn't receive information from on REX 6000. You can update the current information later." There is an OK and Cancel button. Click the OK button.

Here are some detailed instructions that can help you uninstall/reinstall the REX software if the REX software and/or the REX 6000 are crashing repeatedly.

No "fix" for this as yet. One user (Brian) came up with this work-around:

"Has anyone else come up with a good solution for this problem: Since corporate contacts (airlines, hotels, etc...) do not have a first / last name field and are identified by the Company field, they are not showing up in the default listing of contacts on my REX <Which is by last/first name.>.

Obviously, I can sort by company name and then see them, but this is a less than ideal solution. So far the best solution I have come up with is to map the Outlook File As field to the REX last name field and then leave the REX First Name field blank. While not technically accurate, it seems to work. Is there a more logical approach that I am missing?"

From Tubalips:

"To map fields between Outlook contacts and the R6k:

Invoke Intellisync
Highlight Contact <-> MS Outlook in left window
click on Advanced... button (lower right)
click on Field Mapping... (lower right)
then follow directions."

If you have a better idea, let us know!

Total memory is 2 MB. Aside from that overall limit, memos can be any size if downloaded to the REX via REX Tools.

If you download a large memo from an Outlook note it will be truncated.

Using REX Tools large memos get broken into multiple 31.2KB pieces - that appears to be the maximum size for an individual memo on the REX. So if the memo name is Japan and it is 100KB there would be 4 memos stored as Japan(1-4), Japan(2-4), Japan(3-4) and Japan(4-4).

(Thanks to Bernie for his testing on this issue!)

Yes. See our Software Updates page.

From Xircom Tech:

"Optimize and Defrag are the same. The wording was just changed from Defragmenting to Optimizing to make it more user-friendly. In 1.01, the PIM sync optimizes (defrags). For Rex.Net syncs, only the previous databases are deleted. No memory optimizations are taking place. The text in the Rex.Net progress dialogBox just says “Optimizing...” because it used to do both, delete and optimize."

Yes - you can "drill down" (and up!) through your contacts by tapping the letters at the top of the contacts screen and pressing the "Back" button.

"Rather than pressing one of the groups, and scrolling from then on (sometimes over several pages I've found I can go 'ABC' then 'C' then 'Co' and 'Cook, Ron' is at the top of the page. THEN the 'magic' bit of pressing the 'back' button to reverse out one or two levels to go to another contact!" (From Martin.)

Removing batteries on the REX 6000 will not clear the data from from the REX. To clear all the data on the REX you have two options:

• Use REX Tools to initialize the REX. Initializing the REX deletes all data on it, as well as all your sync settings in Intellisync for REX.
• Use REX Tools to delete specific types of data from your REX, such as contacts. Insert your REX in its cradle or PCCARD slot and start REX Tools. When REX Tools has loaded (takes a couple of minutes for REX Tools to read in all the data from your REX), highlight all your contacts (or any data you want to delete) in the REX Tools window and delete them.

This can result from a number of issues, depending if you are syncing from a PCCARD slot, serial or USB cradle. (See the next two items in the FAQ for similar problems and fixes.) One user's "fix" for this problem:

"I have noticed that if the REX 6K is not On when Intellisync or REXTools tries to connect then they may not manage to find the correct COM port to use to connect to the REX - in my case this results in the (in)famous blank com ports dialog. Normally the REX turns on when it is inserted into the Cradle or the PC-Card (PCMCIA) slot but occasionally I have noticed that mine does not (I had this problem this morning for example). The solution that seems to work for me is to make sure the Rex is on *before* I put it into the Cradle or PC-Card slot... May not work for everyone but may be worth giving it a try... "

On the REX, you can view, create, and add home and work addresses. When you select a contact on the REX, there is a row of icons on the bottom of the screen - one of them looks (sort of) like an office building, next to it is one that looks like a little house - tap on either one to view the business or home information (including address) for that contact.

To add information for a contact, tap Modify, and then tap "View" to select the category of info you want to edit/add -the categories are "Numbers," "Work," "Home," and "Notes." Then tap on the field you want to modify or add.

Here are two steps that helped REX users with corrupted world clocks: :

• "When I tried upgrading to version 1.01 of Intellisync (Win2K) my world clock was destroyed...it was OK when I presses the Reset button." (Thanks, Makis.)
• Another user corrected his problem by downloading the REXWorldclock.CSV file from our New User Setup page, placing it in his REX Tools directory, and using REX Tools to initialize his REX.

This has been reported by a few users. It seems to strike somewhat randomly and has affected Win 95, Win 98, and Win 2000 installations. Here's a summary that is a pretty typical description:

"When I use the serial docking station it synchs fine. However, when I use the pc slot, it often cannot find the card and it gives me a message asking to specify a com port but the drop down box has no com ports. Then other times, it will work just fine. I had to reassign my infra red interupt (4) to the device to be able to make it synch the first time. Now it works some times and not others." (From REXfor2months.)

From Preston:

...Windows 98SE thought the modem (the REX card is installed as a modem in Windows) was missing drivers. This can by seen by the yellow triangle with an exclamation point next to the modem listing. Reinstalling the modem did nothing and in any case it listed the right modem as the driver. There is a recent technical bulletin on Xircom's site about this problem, and one of the things it recommends (among several) is setting the resources configuration manually. That worked! However, their advice to set the configuration at 0005 or 0006 didn't. On my system, 0003 did. You can tell when it works because closing out of it makes the exclamation point indicating a problem driver vanish.

I have no idea why since there were no conflicts listed under resources, but I gather that Windows doesn't do a good job identifying conflicts.

Here is the relevant section of the Xircom bulletin, which concerned installing a modem rather than the Rex, but there is a link from the Rex troubleshooting to this one.

(These instructions were created for Windows 98 - you may need to adjust them for your version of Windows):

Open the "System" applet in the Control Panel. Select the "standard pcmcia modem" from the list of devices.

5. In the Properties box, click on the Resources tab. Uncheck the check box titled "Use automatic settings". In the box beside "Settings based on", click the down arrow to view these choices (May vary on some systems):

Basic Configuration 0000 02E8-02EF COM4
Basic Configuration 0001 03E8-03EF COM3
Basic Configuration 0002 02F8-02FF COM2
Basic Configuration 0003 03F8-03FF COM1

Basic Configuration 0004 02E8-02EF COM4
Basic Configuration 0005 03E8-03EF COM3
Basic Configuration 0006 02F8-02FF COM2
Basic Configuration 0007 03F8-03FF COM1

6. By default, this should be set to Basic Configuration 0000. Choose a
Basic Configuration 0005 or 0006. Check the Conflicting device list for
conflicting resource settings. If there are any, your configuration
setting. Notice that the first Input/Output Range has changed. When
done, click OK. Note:

7. A warning message appears "You have adjusted one or more resource
settings manually". Click Yes to continue. There may be an hourglass for
a few seconds.

8. Click the OK at the bottom of Device Manager to close it. In Control
Panel, click on Modem to open the Modem Properties box. Click on the
Diagnostics tab to view which COM port the Xircom modem is on. It should
be on a different COM port than COM5. Highlight the COM port that the
modem is on and click on the More Info.. button. This should verify that
the modem is working correctly on the new COM port.

In a couple of cases users have reported that PCCARD sync will only work on their systems if they boot with the card in the slot, and then only for one sync.

An approach that fixed one user's PCCARD sync problems:

"Guys, thanx for the comments about my problems with getting the Rex 6000 to sync in the card slot. It looks like it does have something to do with the order in setting it up. W2k installs the Rex 6000 as a standard modem - so what I did was I remove the driver for it, thereby effectively uninstalling it. I then rebooted the laptop with the Rex in the PCCARD slot and Windows re-installed the standard W2k driver for it. Sync in the PCCARD slot then worked no problem.

One other interesting thing tho' was I removed the REX from the card slot and connected using the USB cradle - no problems. BUT when I tried the REX in the card slot again it did not work. So I rebooted with the card and and the USB cradle disconnected - then put the Rex into the card slot - guess what - it worked no problems. Lesson is, I guess, that Intellisync gets confused if the sync method is switched about without re-booting." (Thanks, Geoff and B2.)

Eric adds some additional comments:

"Instead of just deleting the driver in Windows 2000, you can open up the device manager (Properties of "My Computer", Hardware Tab, Device Manager), find the "bad driver" such as Standard 28800 modem or whatever, right-click on it (or just double-click), choose properties, pick the Driver tab, and choose Update Driver. To walk through the wizard correctly, click next, next to search for a driver, check the box that says specify a location, next, find the location of the driver on the REX CD or software download, click next, pick one of the other drivers, pick the one off the REX cd, click finish and agree to the unsigned driver message."

From PJ for Win 2K users:

"For those of you with Win2k who are having to reboot each time you want to remove and reinsert your Rex6000, I had the same problem with a Compaq laptop and resolved it by doing the following:

1. Remove Rex
2. Delete standard modem driver from Control Panel -> Phones and Modems (don't delete your built-in modem driver)
3. Shutdown
4. Reinsert Rex
5. Reboot

This caused the laptop to recognize new hardware and reinstalled the standard modem driver. Since then, I have been able to remove and reinsert without rebooting. On the other hand, I seem to remember earlier postings from Toshiba owners about problems specific to their Toshibas, so maybe this won't work on Toshibas. Might be worth a try, though."

Some additional options:

• Uninstall the REX software and re-install, following Xircom's instructions exactly.
• Uninstall your PCCARD drivers (using the System applet in Control Panel) and reboot to reinstall them. (Don't do this unless you have your original Windows CD handy, and are comfortable configuring your Windows software.)
• See if your laptop vendor has updated PCCARD drivers for your laptop/OS combination - check their web site support area.

From Yew:

"I am using the Rex6000 Intellisync in Windows 2000. I have been syncing happily everyday until one day Intellisync started displaying the COM Port Selection prompt. I have ask Xircom Support for help but I found out that it is in fact a Windows problem. For some reason, Windows decided for me that I should be using another COM Port instead. As a result, Intellisync got confused and showed the prompt. To change the COM Port in Windows 2000, refer to here.

For the benefit of everyone, I have compiled a list of known solutions to get rid of the darn dialog box and start syncing again.

1. Removing and reinserting the Rex. [Rex User Manual]
2. Removing the batteries and reinserting it into the Rex.
3. Turning on the Rex before inserting it into the PCMCIA slot or docking station. [
4. Reinitialising the Rex 6000. [Recommended by Xircom Support. Arghh!!!]
5. Check your COM Port settings in the Device Manager.

And from Tom:

"Maybe you can try this one:

-insert Rex in PCMCIA slot
-Go to the properties of the inserted Rex (on my Win 2K box recognised as a standard 33k6 modem)
-Choose 'drivers'
-select 'update (driver)'
-No you will see a wizard.. click 'next'
-select 'Gimme a list, and i'll choose my driver myself.' & click next
-select 'Gimme all hardware of this hardware class'
-on the left: standard modem types, on the right: Standard Modem (33600 bps)
-click next
-Windows says that He is not sure about the driver, just click 'Yes'
-click next
-click finish

This is the way it works on my Windows 2000 Pro box. The english windows commands are not the exact one, because I run a dutch win2K version."

From Dwight:

"I've never had any problems with Windows 98, or XP recognizing my REX on a PCMCIA SCSI controlled adapter. I recently switch backed to ME on which I had never been able to access my REX through the PCMCIA adapter. I had tried setting it up as a standard modem at 56K and 33.6 with no results. After reading the post on REX rumor central I decided to try one more time as a standard modem at 9600 bytes per second. Its working for me at very fast speed."

Greg's suggestion:

"You most likely have no free IRQ's left on your system under XP. The REX card needs an IRQ all to itself. Disable an unneeded COM port (or similar*) to free up an IRQ, and try again! [*If you have a device that is using an IRQ and you don't use that device any more, you can remove that device to free an IRQ.]

I'm using Windows 2000, so Windows XP may be a little different.

First get to the Device Manager through the System Properties dialog (quick shortcut: Windows-Break [or Windows-Pause] key combination). Hit the Hardware tab and then the Device Manager button from System Properties.

Go down the list and open up Ports by clicking on the little plus sign next to it. Double-click on the COM (serial) port that you would like to disable. On the dialog that comes up, select the Device Usage drop-down menu at the bottom, and choose "Do not use this device (disable)." Click OK, and you might have to restart your system.

Once this is done, the REX card's modem driver should be able to find a free IRQ to use.

Another method is to disable the COM port through your system BIOS. This is very low-level, before Windows ever boots up. Usually there is some key sequence that you can press while your system is starting up that will get you into the BIOS "Setup" screen. On this screen you can usually disable any of the ports on the computer. I've done this to guarantee that the serial port that I never use is always out of the way, and that I always have that extra IRQ for PCMCIA devices."

If you do disable a com port, just be sure that it isn't the one used by your modem or serial mouse (if you have an older computer your mouse may be conncect via a serial port rather than a mouse port.)

This has been seen by a number of users, seems most common for those using the PCCARD slot for sync. It is intermittent - I have seen it happen once on my REX and not since.

To get things working again, try either of these fixes:

• Open the battery doors and remove and re-insert one or both of the batteries - that usually takes care of the problem.
  
  If that doesn't work:
  
  
• Press the reset button on the back of the REX - you'll need to use the end of a paperclip to press it.

For installation on Windows XP, see the Windows XP section of our Operating System page. The instructions there will likely help Win 2000 users as well.

Also. . . From Greg:

"I installed my usb cradle but it took some extra effort.

Navigate to the device manager and in the USB section, you may notice some yellow warnings for the usb dock. click on this and click reinstall driver. Continue past the WinXP warning on installation and it will ask for a driver. Browse to the win2K folder of the install files. Click on the file requested. Reboot the computer. It's also good to install the software before you connect the cradle.

There were three yellow errors I corrected through the device manager for the usb dock, etc. and now it works great. Good luck and e-mail back with any questions."

From Michael:

"Thanks for the response. I think I did solve it. Here's the scoop. Environment: Windows 98SE, REX6000, USB Docking Station. V1.0 drivers previously installed. Trying to upgrade to V1.01 drivers. Problem: Windows unable to find the V1.01 drivers during the install process. Install instructions say to point to C:\windows\system for the drivers. They were not found there. Solution: Point the Windows installation wizard to C:\xircom\win98 for the V1.01 drivers. The install appeared to work properly, and Intellisync is now able to communicate with the REX6000 in the USB Docking Station."

From Maik

"Having read the latest news on your page, I wanted to share a very good ressource for USB- related problems with all others: www.usbman.com. It's a general resource, but some of the tricks there may be useful for all who are experiencing problems with the USB cradle; -updating the BIOS is one of the first things they advise."

Here are our Win 95 installation tips in case you'd like to check them out.

We've heard about this USB problem with Win 95 a few times. I'm afraid we don't have a specific "fix" other than trying to uninstall/reinstall the USB cradle. Remove it from your PC in device manager and try to reinstall it. Sometimes the install doesn't go right and you don't go through all three install steps that the manual says you should.

Remember that USB support under Win 95 is weak at best. If you have continuing trouble the best solution is likely to be to use a serial cradle - a device that Win 95 is more "familiar" with. You can find serial cradles on eBay for around $10. Go to this page on eBay and search on "REX" to find the cradle (and other REX accessory) listings on eBay.

Of course, you could also upgrade to Win 98SE or Win 2000, but if you're still running Win 95 now, it's likely because you have to (work) or you want to (zealot). <g>

Intellisync for REX 1.01 fixes this problem - once you upgrade the USB light will stop blinking! (Thanks, Bernie.) See REX NET (in the Support/Downloads/REX 6000 section) for the upgrade. See our NEWs page (March 8 section) for upgrade tips.

You can not use the REX while it is in the USB cradle as far as we know. It displays "Ready" until you start synchronizing, and then it alternates between "Ready" and "Synchronizing." When done, it returns to "Synchronizing."

If there is no sync activity for 3 or 4 minutes, the REX will shut down.

Xircom claims 6 months. Wrong.

As a reference for REX 3 and REX Pro/5000 users , the REX 6000 uses batteries that are about 1/2 as powerful as the ones used in the REX 5000.

Based on reports from users "in the real world" you should expect about 2 months or so from each set of batteries if you use your REX for about five to ten minutes a day - pretty normal average use. Longer use will shorten the life of your batteries, obviously.

Note that the DataSlim2 specs call for about 2 months per set of batteries, which supports reports from REX 6000 users.

Many users have had very rapid depletion of their first set of batteries. Some have returned their first REX to Xircom for a new one that treats batteries more kindly.

Suggested steps:

1. Remove and re-insert your batteries - that has in some cases moved folks reading from poor to good. Something to do with electrical resistance building up in the REX.
2. Move on to a new set of fresh batteries. See above for a listing of battery brands and capacities - getting a set that are 90 mAh (highest capacity) should help.
3. Monitor the second set - if it dies as quickly, call Xircom and get a RMA for a return set up.
4. If you are using your REX to read eTexts, or play games for extended persiods, get used to short battery life!

From LuckyLuciano: "Ok, Rexers, after extensive research, here is the scoop on batteries. Listed with best capacity first:

Brand	Model	mAh
Maxel	CR2016	90
Panasonic	CR2016	90
Varta	CR2016	90
Sony	CR2016	85
Energizer	CR2016	80
Renata	CR2016	80
Duracell	DL2016	75
Rayovac	BR2016	70

That's a 20-28% improvement in capacity from worst to best. That should translate into a similar percentage increase in battery life in your R6K. Caveat: remember, these are manufacturer specs, and your mileage may vary. BTW, my R6K came with Maxell CR2016 batteries installed."

There are specs for a few other brands on Greg's REX site.

Remember to check the brand being sold and the mAh capacity - all batteries are not created equal!

See our REX Battery Vendors page for links to battery vendors from around the world.

Not yet, however, Arthur has discovered a company making rechargeable button batteries.

"...I have some message about a rechargeable cr2016. Plse look at this and can you ask the community if they are interested. plse look at e-mail message below."

"Tjon Poen Gie, Arthur How are you? We are pleased to confirm you that we will have rechargeable lithium button cell next month. For the moment, we only plan to produce CR2032,CR2025,which is relatively large enough. For CR2016, it is very thin, we can not make it unless your order quantity is very big or continuous order. Waiting for your confirmation. Beat regards, Bill"

The company is called "Tian Qui" on their web site. This would be something that both REX and DS2 owners could benefit from. . . the company's email is [email protected]. Maybe if they receive a "few" emails from our community (and DS2 owners!) they will come up with something for us!

Battery door advice. (From Tubalips)

"I have heard people say that the battery doors on their REX are getting "messed up" as people replace their batteries. This will only happen if you use your fingernail to open the doors. If you use a stylus (or even a pen tip) to open the doors, you will get little (if any) wear on the plastic doors. (Remember that the doors are spring-loaded). I used my fingernails to open the doors on my Rex 5000 and the result was not very pretty. So far, there is no visible wear on my R6K battery doors."

From Mikhail:

"Then let me tell you one interesting trick I found.

I use for REX 6000 sync supplied USB cradle, and it is really slow. BUT!!! I found in system options (Win98, Control Panel, system, Com3, properties) that default settings for port speed are 9600. Why??? I have changed it to maximum possible (921600) and synchronization time decreased!!! It is not easy to measure it exactly because every time Rex Tools or IntelliSync does memory optimization, and it needs different times. But I am sure that it becomes faster! And I have seen no errors or problems.

Then... I have found, that in the system registry in [HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\XIRCOM\REX] (and in Current_User, of course) "RATE" by default is set to 57600. After change to 921600 it looks sync becomes faster again!!!"

For Win 2000/XP users the registry key "Rate" is found at:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\XIRCOM\REX (Thanks, Greg.)

Larry tested his before/after results: "...I first ran a synchronization to get all changed items into the REX and memory optimized. I checked off one of my task items in Outlook to force a change in the task list and to re-optimize memory. I then ran another synchronization. Then I changed the port speed and the registry, rebooted, unchecked the task and re-ran the synchronization. I get the following approximate times:

• Fast registry and port speeds: 1 minute 8 seconds
• Slow registry and port speeds: 2 minutes 14 seconds"

From Greg: "I tried setting the COM port speed to its maximum setting, and also changed the Registry entry. My sync speed is already fast, and I noticed no improvement with the new settings. I have Windows 2000 installed, which might make a difference. ....

I am using the USB cradle. The maximum I could set its port through the control panel was 128,000. It was originally set to 75 bps! Obviously, sync wasn't using that rate, or I'd be waiting all day. I set the RATE key in the Registry to 921,600 from the original 57,600. Sync speed did not change after any of these changes."

Herb had a strange problem - everything sync'd properly from Outlook to REX except his Notes. The solution turned out to be deceptively simple - just let the Intellisync software self-configure.

"I purchased my Rex about six days ago, and I was just about ready to return it . . . Each time after initializing, I went thru each option (Contacts, Notes, etc) and selected "Options," then, "Browse," to select my default folder by double-clicking the folder (then the grey box popped up to confirm the selection of the default folder).

I called Xircom tech support, and Rick confirmed that I already ruled out the basics. This time after the initialization, we simply ensured that Outlook was the PIM (without doing anything else), and the synch performed flawlessly. I had given up on that strategy many initializations ago.

I actually started considering a Palm Pilot, but my friends that use them never seem to have them around when needed. I'm relieved and grateful that my Rex is up and running."

"The answer is ... yes you can.

When I attempted to sync the new R6K it did a "mapping" step as usual, and I set it up to be identical to my old R6K. I then used Rextools to finish the setup by putting in my personal info and add-ins. I also added the new device to the MyRex site.

I then synched each R6K again and each did fine. Apparently, the "getting device ID" step in the synch process can identify different devices and keeps a separate sync-history for each." (From Antmelnat)

The only "fix" for this used to be reinstalling Windows. Howerver, Srdan has come up with a much simpler resolution!

"Some time ago I had this problem and as you pointed out on Rex Forum only solution was to reinstall Win95. I spent some time on this problem because I have one computer where I wasn't that willing to reinstall from scratch. I checked on two different computers on which same problem occurred and installation of Internet Explorer 5.0 resolved the issue. The catch is that you have to deinstall Intellisync, install newer version of Internet Explorer and than reinstall Intellisync. Obviously something must be there during installation. This has been checked with Win95 and Internet Explorer 5.0 but I presume 5.5 will also do the job. Hope this will help somebody."

If you modify only the title of memo on the rex, then sync, the new title does not show up in the note in Outlook. (From Grumsey.)

No known fix yet.

Work-around: If you modify the content of the memo as well, the title and content changes are sync'd to Outlook correctly.

No known fix. If you have an event that starts on one day and ends on another (Mon 9am->Wed 1pm) when it's transfered to the Rex6000 it becomes Mon 9am->Mon 11:55pm and there is nothing in Tues or Wed about the event. All you can do is enter the event on each day as a separate event. Yuck!

However . . . from Tubalips:

"People are asking about multiple-day events. I had several of them that synced-up just fine. But to be more specific, they were all multi-day ALL-DAY events <where you must check the "all day event" check box in Outlook>, not with begin and end date/times. So this probably does not address your problems with syncing cross-day events."

The Intellisync 1.01 release has dealt with part of the recurring event sync issue. Recurring appointments now show up on the correct days with the 1.01 release. If you enter recurring events and then leave them be, you're fine.

However, there is stil a significant issue with editing recurring appointments. From Bill:

"After doing some more experimenting with recurring events, I have basically concluded that it is wise to AVOID making changes that affect single instances of the event; making such changes on either the REX or in Outlook do not always get synced properly to the other device. Although I haven't kept good enough notes to figure out exactly where things go wrong, a typical result is that any "exception" event in Outlook is fanned in the REX so that it is no longer part of the recurring event. Safest way to go is to delete the recurring events entirely, sync, then re-enter the info in Outlook and sync again. Intellisync/Xircom still have a long way to go to get this thing to work predictably and accurately."

So no fix at this time.

If you have contacts with pager numbers, you'll need to map the pager field (in Intellisync) to one of the existing availble phone fields on the REX. Alternatively, put the pager number in the Notes section of your contact. Inelegant, but at least you'll have the number.

If you map the pager field to another field in Intellisync for REX: There are only two business number fields on the REX - Business and Other. You can map the pager numbers in your contacts to the Other field if most of your contacts don't have second business numbers.

See a detailed list of REX 6000 sync options on our site. We have tips that may allow you to get data to and from REX for many PIMs (Notes, Organizer, etc.) and services like TrueSync.com, Excite Planner, and Yahoo Calendar.

From Alan in the UK:

I’ve had my REX6K for one week now and I am very impressed and pleased with it. I am synchronising with Lotus Organiser V5.0 using the rex intellisync and having installed intellisync for Yahoo the organiser 5.0 became an option in the Rex software, as indicated on Dana’s site. The only thing that I have found is that any events that are entered in the Lotus Organiser from the planner view come across with the original titles of the events, even though I have renamed them, i.e. my holidays appear in the Rex as “meetings”. Other than that I am very pleased with the unit it is just right for my needs."

See our Sync Options pages for ideas on expanding the range of PIMs you can sync to. There is a section there on Lotus Notes. Sync is possible, although it requires a two-step sync for now.

Here's another option: (From Deepsync):

"Hey all I just saw a possible solution how to sync directly with Lotus Notes. The Japanese Pumtech Site shows a Intellisync Anywhere Product for the DS2 which is for Lotus Notes 4.5/4.6/5. But its a commercial ...."

Intellisync Anywhere appears to be a corporate product with server, client, and mobile modules.

There is a product called simply "Intellisync" that is available from Pumatech for $69.99. Supports a wide range of PIMs. See the "Other Sync Software" section of our Sync Options page for more details.

This issue has been fixed by the 1.10 release of Intellisync for REX. See our Software Update page for information on this "must have" upgrade.

"I assume you still have the Palm-Sync Software installed. In this case the Palm software simply blocks the resources of the Com-Port so this port is not accessible for any other program. Try deleting/uninstalling the Palm-Soft or (if need still need it) try killing the process belonging to it. That should work."

MS Outlook for $30?!? No! Yes!! (From Don)

"...I've had older models of Rex and am very impressed with the 6K. Had a terrible time with both the Psion Revo and the Rex because didnt want to spend $100 plus dollars to get Outlook. Discovered that you can get Outlook 98 or 2000 for a reasonable price by getting the book"Step by Step, MS Outlook" available most large bookstores and it includes outlook disk for total price of $30. Thats right. Got mine at Barnes and Noble locally."

We've had confirmation from several users that all versions of Outlook (including Outlook XP) work fine with the REX.

However, John had recently upgraded to from Outlook 2000 Outlook XP and things didn't go smoothly after the upgrade:

"The Rex seems to go through the sync fine, but the data is not sync'd between my laptop and the Rex. Neither my calendar or my contacts sync. They don't go either direction. I am connecting through the PCMCIA slot. It worked fine with Outlook 2000."

John resolved the problem by initializing his REX. If you have problems after an Outlook upgrade (to any version), initializing your REX (using REX Tools) should clear things up.

And from Andrew:

"I ran into a similar problem. The solution I found was to reinstall the REX software after I had installed Outlook XP. Then the sync started working as normal."

From Amiram:

"I had the same problem with my multiple-profile Outlook 2000 on Windows 2000, and came up with the following: When installing "Intelli"Sync, select "None" as the PIM rather then the default Outlook. Then click "Configure" in Intellisync and select Outlook using the correct profile. If this doesn't help, try removing all profiles except for the correct one (write down the details of the others first!) and then re-install."

There are two programs that allow you to read and write emails on the REX. RexMail and Maillosaurus REX. See our Add-ins and other Programs page for details.

TAKE NOTE: The Outlook Rules Wizard can NOT turn your emails into Notes automatically for you:

Although you can set up "rules" in Outlook using the "Tools/Rules Wizard" menu selection to move certain emails as they arrive to your Notes folder, problem is, they are not converted from emails to Notes! From Read:

"I am having trouble using the rule in outlook to turn email into notes in order to sync with the rex. the rule will indeed move the email to the notes folder in outlook but it does not appear with a notes icon. rather it appears with an unopened mail icon. i can open the mail in the notes folder but it will not sync with the rex as is. i have been doing the manual drag and drop from mail to notes and in doing so the mail is actually opened as a note to be saved and synced."

This issue has been fixed by the 1.01 release of Intellisync for REX. See our Software Update page for information on this "must have" upgrade.

Why aren't all of my contacts and memo folders syncing to my REX?

If you are using Intellisync Mobile Desktop, see the next item.

(Thanks, Eric, for providing this information. This fix requires registry editing, and is not recommended unless you are familiar with working with the Windows registry.)

"First, the context : Intellisync did not recognize my Outlook 2000 configuration. It could not find my profile information required to find my PST files.

I have W2K + Outlook 2000 on a NT corporate network. After some searches, I found out that Intellisync is looking into the registry for :

HKEY_USERS\(...)\Software\Microsoft\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles

Whereas my good Outlook profile are in :

HKEY_USERS\(...)\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles

(I think the (...) in the path above is some number that describes your NT account.)

I used a registry editor (like Registrar lite, a free one) and I copy/pasted my configuration into the good path. That's it ! Hope this helps."

Note that you could also simply use "Regedit" that comes with Windows. Again, if you aren't familiar with the Windows registry, get some help from your favorite techie - diving into the registry on your own can be dangerous to the stability of your Windows setup. .

Steve was also having difficulty - Intellisync was unable to find/read his outlook.pst file:

"I have not been able to synchronize my Rex6000 with Outlook 2000 (workgroup version) on a WinNT 4.0 machine. I found three items on your web site that I was sure would fix my problems: the WinNT installation procedure, "Intellisync can't find my Outlook.pst file (by Eric)", and finally "installing with Outlook corporate/workgroup version.

My one remaining problem has been resolved, and it turned out to be a simple one. I always kept Outlook open when I tried to perform the Intellisync Configure or Synchronize. I was told Outlook was locking the "offline store", and disallowing Intellisync access to the file. The solution was simply to close/exit Outlook before running Intellisync. I don't remember reading that requirement anywhere, and it seems logical but a little unusual.

One additional note: I removed the copy of the "Windows Messaging System" folder in the registry and Intellisync is still working. It appears that modifying the registry is not necessary with my computer setup. I think the one fix that I needed was the one explained in the "Office XP users working with offline files may need to tweak a bit (from JJ)". The fix must also be applicable to computers running WinNT, Office 2000, Corporate/Workgroup."

Also see here on our Operating System page for more on working with Outlook corporate version and a fix for problems that off-line files can cause. The section refers to Outlook XP but is also applicable to earlier versions of Outlook corporate workgroup version.

The following problem/resolution has only been reported once, but just in case you're seeing this behavior:

"I had the following rather odd experience. I noticed that new contacts added on the Rex were not being transferred to Outlook. I examined all the settings, tried resynching, examined some more, tried resynching, tried defraging then resynching, etc. This didn't work. Then, I chose "Add all conflicting items" and it worked -- everything was mapped over. Previously I had the setting "notify me of conflicts" (under Configure/Advanced/Conflict Resolution). Moreover, the setting was returned to "Notify me of conflicts." This setting also changes Rex addresses -- all of the addresses with two-line street addresses get vertical pipe | instead of the carriage return in OUtlook, but outlook is unaffected." ((From Preston.)

It appears the the default directory that comes with Intellisync with the Rex 6000 was incorrect. A fix shared by a user (thanks, John) who got it straight from Customer Support at Rex:

1. Open Intellisync for REX
2. Click the "Configure" button.
3. Select "Memo" from the list of items to highlight it and then click the "Choose" button
4. Select "Intellisync Mobile Desktop" from the list of applications. Click OK.
5. Click the "Choose" button and look at the path.
   
   If the path states:
   
   C:\Program Files\Rex6000\Intellisyncforrex\notes.dat
   
   change it to:
   
   C:\Program Files\Rex6000\Pim\Data\Default\notes.dat

Once the path is set it won't have to be changed again.

Apparently this issue is resolved in release 1.01. See our Software Updates page for information on getting and installing version 1.01.

This will only work if you have not initialized your REX and still have your PIM data intact on it.

1. Do a reinstall of IMD. (Do not restore any of your IMD data files on your PC.)
2. Do a sync and accept all changes from your REX, to move your PIM data from the REX back to Intellisync Mobile Desktop.

Phil was experiencing a persistent error when trying to sync. After installing Intellisync he was only able to sync until he shut down and restarted:

"Everything works fine as long as I am running the computer. The momment I turn it off and re-start it. Outlook 2000 give my a message "that a recently install program may cause Outlook or your e-mail program not to function properly. It gives you 2 option Yes to correct the problem. Which I did. Outlook comes back and tells you it could not correct the problem and that I need to re-start the machine. If I answer NO nothing happens."

The standard troubleshooting steps didn't help at all. Luckily, Phil tracked down the source of the problem:

"Hi Again, I just wanted to let you I finally figured out what was going on. I Re-formated my Hard Drive and only installed Windows 98SE, Office 2000 and Intellisync using the method you mentioned. The Rex worked great. Then I started to install one program at a time....and the winner is Eudora. Everytime I would install Eudora (version 4.33 or 5.1), Outllook would give that wierd message and Intellisync would not work. I would get the missing DLL message. I uninstalled Eudora and made sure it was out of the resgitry. Now everything actually works great. I guess that Microsoft doesn't want any competion on the same computer."

An even better fix for the problem! (From Joe)

See the original story below on the 25th. Joe responds quickly with a fix that allows Eudora and Outlook to co-exist peacefully with Intellisync!

"I found that the problem Phil described is not with Eudora itself; it is with how Eudora uses MAPI. To fix it; in Tools, Options, MAPI, the first choice is when to "Use the Eudora MAPI Server". Choose: Never I then had no further difficulties with Outlook. I do not know whether it is Microsoft or Qualcomm who is at fault."

Problem description:

The problem is the synchronisation software for the Jornada. It stays resident in the background of your System and frequently polls all COM-ports. By doing so it blocks the ports for any other applications.

Solution:

Open the task-manager and kill the process named "wcescomm". By doing so Intellisync should work properly. The downside is, that you have to start the Jornada sync manually. (Tom)

Xircom/Intel closed the REX.NET web sync service on September 1, 2001.

If you try to sync to REX.NET on or after that date, all web content will be deleted from your REX.

The REX developer community has created wonderful replacements for REX.NET. See our Websync page for options.

This idea from Shawn:

"Also, for those people who miss the Movie listings of Rex.net, Amazon.com has started a weekly theatre email service that sends you the movie listings for your area every Thursday, based on a given zip code. Using Maillosaurusrex, you can then transfer this info automatically to your Rex. It isn’t a perfect service, I have been changing my zip code trying to get it to send me the two theatres that I frequent most often (it keeps sending me theatres that are downtown or too far south), but I am working on it. I thought other users might find it useful."

See our Add-ins and Other Programs page and review the "Other REX Programs" section for more on using Maillosaurus REX for getting Web content on your REX.

See our Websync page for more information on web sync options.

From RF2M:

"I had the same problem when I switched and the only thing I had to do was to enter my proxy server address. You can find this in IE5.0 by going to Tool > Internet Options > Connections tab > LAN SETTINGS button > Proxy Server section >.

Read the Proxy server name and port number and use this information to enter into the Rex.net login screen. You should not need any other user-id/passwords other than your rex.net user-ID and password."

From Bob:

" Upgrade your Internet Explorer to the latest version and see if that helps. That worked for me on NT 4.0."

And from Mossman:

"In re proxy: I was never able to get through our proxy until AFTER 1.01. I still have never gotten through automatically but I rountinely fetch my empty theater listings by checking the "Show RexNet Logon" box on the sync dialog. After manually entering the proxy info once and getting a successful sync I can now just hit "OK" when the logon screen pops up. If I don't show the logon, it always fails for me. If you are trying for a "no-hands" sync this may help."

And from Walliegater:

"I downloaded 128 bit security for MSIE and it now syncs perfectly. I dont know why that worked, but it is something to check."

There are two ways:

1. Initialize your REX using REX tools. This is pretty drastic, as it clears of everything off your REX and also removes your Intellisync for REX settings. It will take a few minutes to reset your Intellisync for REX configuration and resync your PIM data to your REX.
2. Use the "webclean" add-in from Damjan. (Easiest way).

You can not use REX Tools to delete Web content directly by deleting items listed in the window. The web content does not show up in the list of items on the REX.

In some cases, on some computers, there was a problem with Intellisync for REX doing both PIM sync and web sync in the same session. This has been reported on Win 95 installs as well as "normal" installs. One user (thanks, Bill) offered the following in response to another user's problems with Intellisync crashes while syncing REX.NET:

"I had the same problem when syncing with the Web using the serial port. It seems to be a bug. However there is a rather simple work-around. Never sync both your PIM info and your Web info at the same time. I always sync the PIM info first, then close the Intellijunk program, restart it, change preferences to only sync the Web. This seems to work fine and only adds about 30 seconds to the process."

The 1.01 software release may resolve this issue for you. See our Software Updates page for more information on getting and installing version 1.01.

Option 1:

See this document from Xircom that tells how to get contact information from Truesync Desktop to Outlook.

Option 2:

This may be an easy thing to do, if certain things work the way they "should."

1. Register at Yahoo and get Intellisync for Yahoo. Install it, but don't run or use it. (You do this to add Yahoo sync capability to Intellisync for REX.)
2. Update your TrueSync Plus installation to include the Yahoo sync capability.
3. Sync your REX 3 info to Yahoo using TrueSync Plus.
4. Start Intellisync for REX and sync your new REX 6000 to Yahoo.
5. Reset Intellisync for REX to sync to Intellisync for Mobile Desktop and sync your REX 6000 data to it.

We have received feedback from users that this process is effective. You may have some issues with memos coming across correctly from Yahoo.

Option 3:

There is a free tool to help you get your contacts from TrueSync Desktop to Intellisync for REX. The tool converts a TrueSync Desktop export file to a working Intellisync for REX import file. (This works for contacts only.)

Find it at http://www.onkelfuzzy.de/. The zip file includes reame.txt instructions and the source code as well. One caveat - this process requires opening a command prompt (C:\) in Windows, moving between directories using DOS commands, etc. (Thanks, mantillo.)

From a former Palm user who moved data from his Palm PIM to Outlook using a tool provided with his Palm Pilot software:

"I transfered my data from palm 3c/Palm Pim to my REX. I phoned Palm help desk, this is what I did: Within the enclosed disk with the Palm is a bit of 3rd party software which transfers all your data from the Palm PIM to Outlook. Once in Outlook you can sync with REX. I cant remeber the name of the utility that did this but it was a very painless operation."

From Rahul, who moved his contact data from Palm Desktop to Outlook using a simple "Export/Import" process:

1. "I found the easiest way to get contacts from Palm Desktop to Outlook is by doing the following:
2. First export your data from Palm Desktop using the File-Import/Export-Export function Export it as a comma separated value file, "CSV"
3. Go to Outlook and Import using the File-Import/Export-Import Function and select the Windows "CSV"
4. Then all you have to do is map a couple of fields, i.e. Put the first name where it belongs, and the last name where it belongs, and do that with 5 or 6 unique entries, and you will see everything exports the way you want it.

   I have over 1700 entries and the whole process took no more than 5 minutes."

How a Palm user moved his data to Intellisync Mobile Desktop (the REX PIM):

"To transport my existing Palm Pilot Pro files from the "Palm Desktop" program (Version 4.0) to the "Intellisync Mobile Desktop" program the general procedure I used was pretty much as follows:

1. Used Palm Desktop to do a file export on each of the Date, Address, Todo and Memo files.
2. Put the files in a temporary directory and change their extensions to .txt.
3. Moved the files to the PIMData directory.
4. Started the Intellisync Mobile Desktop program and followed its 'Help" instructions under 'Importing and Exporting' heading. (I had to do some file 'cleanup' in order to get the files imported properly.)

   Note - In Intellisync Mobile Desktop 'Preferences' selection be sure the correct data directory is set for your data files. A thorough read of the Intellisync Mobile Desktop Help Importing and Exporting info is suggested. Also helps by just looking at the 4 text files with a text editor."

Finally, there is a product iknown as "Intellisync" available from Pumatech for $69.99. Supports a wide range of PIMs. This product requires that Palm "Hotsync" is installed. If you are upgrading to a REX from a Palm PDA and need more sync capabilities than Intellisync for REX offers, this might be an idea for you to consider.

See the "Other Sync Software section of our Sync Options page for more details on the Pumatech software and other options for moving data between PIMs and PDA's.

From Donald:

"Virtual PC (with Win98 installed) allows me to run Windows programs on a make in a separate window. I've got a Palm Pilot and was using Palm Desktop on the Mac. However, since REX does not support a Mac and will either sync with Mobile Desktop or Outlook, I took my Palm Pilot, sync'd with the live data on my Mac, went into Virtual PC, then sync'd the data to Outlook. Once that was done, I installed the REX and set it up to sync via Outlook, thus transferring all my live data from Outlook to the REX. So to summarize, the sequence I went through is:

1. Palm Desktop Mac --> Palm Pilot
2. Palm Pilot --> Outlook 98
3. Windows (Virtual PC) Outlook98 (VPC) --> REX-6000"

Mac / Palmsycn to REX 6000 conversion process w/out using Outlook. (From Hanno)

"Workaround Mac / Palm sync to Rex6000 from a new Rex User

Proabably the most complicated way to get my Palm data to the Rex via my Powerbook Mac (I don`t have a PC or an Outlook Calendar), but it finally worked:

PalmPilot -> PalmDesktop on Virtual PC -> TrueSync PalmDesktop with Yahoo (Virtual PC) -> IntelliSync Yahoo with Rex via PC-Card Slot of Powerbook (Virtual PC). There should be a straight TrueSync Option to sync PalmDesktop, Yahoo and Rex in one go - however, TrueSync can`t communicate with the Rex with my settings (neither PC-card slot nor USB cradle).

This is too complicated for every day sync, but it was good for a start to transfer my data, the only problem being the repeated events coming from Yahoo to the Rex in 2 weeks instead of 2 day repeats and so on."

From Mattz:

"Ok, here we go:

Ingredients:

1 Casio SF5300E Digital Diary, 1 Rex 6000, 1 piece of Casif (Sync Software for Casio DD), 1 data link cable, lots of free time.

Instructions:

1. The key for extracting the info from the Casio DD is that the batteries must be new. If not, it won´t work.
2. Install the CASIF software. (It´s free and you can get it from http://www.elpuntofijo.net/others/casif.zip). If you need some VB libraries, you can get them at http://www.download.com.
3. You must have a communications serial cable for the Casio DD. You can buy one or, if you have some spare time, you can build it yourself. The diagrams can be seen at http://www.casioworld.com/diagram.html. In this web site, you can buy the cable, too. I looked at the diagrams and asked a friend to build the cable for me. The tricky part is the tiny connector that goes to the Casio DD. It must be done properly or it won´t work, in the worst case, the digital diary can be severely damaged if you do this wrong. So, if you don´t feel confident about your electronic building skills, ask for help.
4. In the site http://www.casioworld.com/compo.html, you can see a little guide of the process.
5. Once you have extracted the data, you can edit the resulting file in Excel (you have to specify the format as csv in the casif software to do this without problems), in order to meet the Rex import specifications.
6. When you´re done, you can import the data into the Rex 6000 using the Intellisync Mobile Desktop Import option (in the File Menu)

It worked for me. If you need further details, don´t hesitate to contact me. I´m planning to put a message board on my web page (www.elpuntofijo.com), in English and Spanish soon (I promise...), to address all the questions that can be made on this topic."