Help Contents

Installing Databases

After you build a database, or after you select 'Install' from the main window, you are prompted to select a Palm user for installation.

A list of the Palm handheld devices that synchronize with this Windows desktop is displayed. Select the user you want the databases installed to, then click OK. Magic Scout must already be installed on the selected handheld. If it isn't, select Reinstall Palm Program from the File menu.

You must sync your handheld device at least once before you can install the Magic Scout databases to it. If you are unsure how to synchronize your Palm handheld, please see the documentation that came with the device. After you sync your handheld, restart Magic Scout and the Palm user will be displayed in the available list.

After you have completed the instalation dialogs, synchronize your handheld device. The generated Magic Scout databases will be copied to your handheld. Since there is over 4 megabytes of information to copy, you can expect this to take a long time, possibly 5 to 30 minutes depending on your device connection and where the files are installed (main memory or media slot).

Database installation locations

Once you select a Palm user for installation of the generated files, you must specify where each individual database is installed. The Magic Scout data is comprised of a number of files (Palm databases) which are all required for Magic Scout to operate correctly.

Database storage

If your handheld device has a memory media expansion slot, then large databases will be setup by default for installation to memory media. But you can change the installation location for each individual database file. Select a file, and click on 'Storage'.

The choices you choose are saved when you rerun and install databases later on. To reset the choices to the defaults based on the file sizes, click on 'Reset'.

Storage - Main memory

The database is installed to main memory. Note that very large files may take a long time to synchronize, possibly as long as 10 minutes with slower serial synchronization.

Storage - Manual

Some Palm handhelds include software that allow you to copy files directly to media memory very quickly. You can choose to skip synchronization of some or all of the files, and install them yourself. Click here for more information about where you can manually install the databases so that Magic Scout will find them.

Storage - Media

The last options will include the names of expansion slot media, such as 'Memory Stick'. Choose this option to have the selected database saved to media. This will save your main device memory for applications. Although synchronization to media is faster, expect large databases over one megabyte in size to still take a fair amount of time to synchronize, up to several minutes.