Monday, December 5, 2005
Microsoft Will Not Update Windows Mobile Timezone For Australia Commonwealth Games
Posted by Ed Hansberry in "THOUGHT" @ 08:00 AM
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907494/
Australia is moving the switch from daylight savings for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. While there is a patch available for desktop products, it involves a relatively simple modification to the registry. Windows CE based devices do not maintain this information in the registry but in one of the nearly 300 DLL files in the Windows folder - I think it is the citydb.dll file but am not sure. Anyway, MS would need to provide that DLL for Pocket PC 2002, 2003, 2003SE and WM5 (they don't even list 2000 as a device any longer on that page) and they won't be doing it. They have provided a workaround, which basically involves changing the timezone you are in. :?
If you live in or will be traveling to Australia, check the KB article and see if you will be in one of the affected states during March and April 2006.
Update: Mr. PPC correctly pointed out in the thread that you should not implement the workaround Microsoft has in the article. If you do that, two things will happen.
• All appointments currently set will shift one hour when you move from +10 to +11. They will be correct again after you shift back when the games are over. I think alarms will go whacky as well.
• All appointments set during the temporary change will shift the other way (not sure which set goes forward and which set goes back) after the games and will have to be fixed once you are back in the right timezone.
The only valid workaround I can see is change your clock and don't sync. Syncing with ActiveSync will fix the clock. Nice huh? :evil:
Australia is moving the switch from daylight savings for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. While there is a patch available for desktop products, it involves a relatively simple modification to the registry. Windows CE based devices do not maintain this information in the registry but in one of the nearly 300 DLL files in the Windows folder - I think it is the citydb.dll file but am not sure. Anyway, MS would need to provide that DLL for Pocket PC 2002, 2003, 2003SE and WM5 (they don't even list 2000 as a device any longer on that page) and they won't be doing it. They have provided a workaround, which basically involves changing the timezone you are in. :?
If you live in or will be traveling to Australia, check the KB article and see if you will be in one of the affected states during March and April 2006.
Update: Mr. PPC correctly pointed out in the thread that you should not implement the workaround Microsoft has in the article. If you do that, two things will happen.• All appointments currently set will shift one hour when you move from +10 to +11. They will be correct again after you shift back when the games are over. I think alarms will go whacky as well.
• All appointments set during the temporary change will shift the other way (not sure which set goes forward and which set goes back) after the games and will have to be fixed once you are back in the right timezone.
The only valid workaround I can see is change your clock and don't sync. Syncing with ActiveSync will fix the clock. Nice huh? :evil:
