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Overclocking Windows CE
By Chris
De Herrera, Copyright 2000, 20001
Version 1.02 Revised 2/12/2001
Introduction
As soon as the first personal computers were created, users set out to make their systems work faster. Overclocking is a common term for increasing the CPU speed (MHZ) by directly increasing the clock crystal that the CPU runs on. Overclocking is the most common technique to making a standard machine faster. The Pocket PCs can also benefit from this technique.
Risks and Rewards
Before attempting to modify any device, you should consider the following:
- Potential permanent damage to your device due to overclocking. This is not common however it can occur without notice.
- Potential damage if the changes are performed incorrectly.
- Voids manufacturer's warranty.
- May prevent you from synchronizing via serial, modem, infrared or USB due to changes in the clock frequency for the connection if it is derived from the same crystal as the CPU.
- May corrupt internal memory. If you overclock beyond the speed of the internal memory you will lose all your data. The system may lock up or reboot spontaneously.
- May corrupt PC Card, CompactFlash or MultiMedia Cards. These cards depend on specific clock frequencies to store information correctly. Modifying the clock frequency may affect these devices. Some Casio EM-500 users have reported that after a soft reset the MMC card is read very slowly. The solution was to remove the MMC card, power off and on and then re-insert the MMC card.
The rewards are making your existing investment work better for you. This includes faster loading of applications, screen displays and synchronization. Also, reading and writing to internal memory and flash cards may be faster as well.
Troubleshooting
If your system acts unstable at a higher clock speed then you should try reducing the clock speed or returning it to it's original configuration. If this is not possible, then you may not be able to have it repaired by the manufacturer. The manufacturers do not offer warranty service on user modified devices.
Conclusion
Overall, you must consider these issues before making modifications to your device. I recommend if you want to perform these upgrades you do so on a spare machine since it may be damaged in the process.
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