iPaq users warned over rogue upgrade

Unofficial Pocket PC 2002 trashes data and apps, says Giga

Updating your iPaq's software with rogue versions of the new Pocket PC 2002 operating system could cost you data and applications, Giga Information Group has warned.

The analyst said there were unofficial versions of the operating system loose on the internet, probably beta versions from within Microsoft. Users have mistaken these for official releases.

Giga's clients have reported attempting to upgrade Compaq iPaq PocketPC devices to PocketPC 2002 only to find that existing applications and data were lost when the ROM image installation completed. Other PocketPC 2002 add-ons were also not available, Giga said.

"The clients I talked to were frustrated because they thought their applications would be saved. They didn't know it wasn't the full image until it was too late," said Giga analyst Ken Smiley.

"While none of these ROMs has proven to be a Trojan horse, the possibility for a serious security breach through a compromised Flash ROM upgrade remains. Giga clients are advised to upgrade iPaq devices only from original Compaq-supplied media."

The official Pocket PC 2002 upgrade is only available via CD and not over the internet. The CDs are expected to be available soon.