Software to Unlock Toshiba e800's VGA Mode Improved

When Toshiba released their e800 Pocket PC less than two months ago, it was with highly limited access to the full capabilities of the built-in 480x640 VGA resolution screen. The built in software only allowed the ClearVue Suite programs to function in VGA resolution. This was accomplished by using a special program launcher which only showed the ClearVue Suite programs and a modification to the stylus driver which prevented access to the Start Menu. The most credible theory as to why Toshiba did this was that the company didn't want to handle technical support calls due to applications that don't work well in full VGA resolution.

A short time after the e800 became available, one programmer created a work-around for the limited program launcher, giving e800 users full access to all programs installed on their Pocket PCs. Following shortly on his heels, another programmer created a similar workaround. Shortly after that, another programmer created a work-around for the locked-out Start Menu. Together, the resolution switching program(s) and the "dead zone" fix allowed Toshiba e800 users full access to VGA resolution.

Since that time, there have been major upgrades to one of the resolution switching programs and to the dead zone fix: First, WPdaPet's Dead Zone Fix, version 2.0 was released. The first version was almost 1MB in size and involved a complete replacement for the stylus driver. Version 2.0 is considerably smaller (12KB) and works with software that intercepts the stylus driver to allow special functions (eg: Calligrapher).

Second, Version 2.0 of Deez' ResFix program was released. Like earlier versions of the program, ResFix 2.0 allows full access to all programs on the e800. 2.0 also adds the ability to rotate to landscape orientation. The rotation is done via hardware, so there is no speed degradation that you'd see with software rotation. Currently, only one landscape orientation is available (with the direction pad on the right of the display) and the directional pad controls aren't rotated with the display. Deez is at work to solve both issues.

To download the freeware Dead Zone Fix, click here.

To get further information on the latest versions of Deez' ResFix program and to see examples of full VGA landscape screens, click here. You can also download version 1.0d, the latest freeware version of ResFix from that URL.