Psion netBook Pro Troubleshooting Guide
Troubleshooting for the Psion netBook Pro, Psion Teklogix's Windows CE .NET 4.2 sub-notebook of 2003. Its processor, operating system, display and backup batteries differ from the Psion netBook and Psion Series 7, so their fault-finding does not carry over. Psion Teklogix's user manual has a troubleshooting chapter and the reset procedures; no service manual, exploded view or parts list is known to survive.[1] Several faults on these machines are firmware faults, fixed by a ROM update.[2]
Preliminary checks
[edit | edit source]- Always switch the machine off before removing the main battery.[3]
- If both the main pack and the backup cells run flat, everything in internal memory is lost; only the Flash folder survives. Back up first.[3]
- For a hard reset, remove the backup cells before the main pack and refit them last.[4]
- Use anti-static precautions.
Identify the revision
[edit | edit source]The moulding on the rubber cap over the Honda connector reads "RS232" on the earlier revision and "RS232 - USB" on the later one. Only the later revision has a built-in modem and a USB client connection through the Honda connector, so an earlier machine without them is not faulty.[2]
| Symptom | Probable cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Will not switch on | A peripheral card or connection | Remove all cards and connections and try again. |
| Will not switch on after heavy use | Main battery exhausted | Reconnect the AC adapter or fit a charged pack. The machine will not switch on until one of these is done. |
| Still will not switch on after charging | Locked-up system | Soft reset, then hard reset. |
| Will not switch off | Automatic switch-off setting | Check the Power settings in the Control Panel. |
| Keys do not respond, or the screen stays blank with good batteries | Locked-up system | Soft reset. |
| Power-on password forgotten | Password set on the machine | Reset, then hold Ctrl, D and On to start the boot loader and press ! to reload the operating system. Everything in internal storage outside the Flash folder, including registry entries, is lost. |
Display and touchscreen faults
[edit | edit source]| Symptom | Probable cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Screen does not respond to taps | Calibration lost | Recalibrate from Control Panel, Stylus Properties, Calibration.[6] |
| Touchscreen ignores the stylus and the calibration applet will not open | Possibly corrupted ROM files | In a 2011 HPC:Factor thread a moderator suggested corrupted ROM files and reflashing with a later ROM; the outcome was not reported.[7] The BooSt boot menu has a touch test, and the superuser mode can recalibrate the touchscreen outside Windows CE.[8] |
| Touchscreen mis-registers; pressing the badge above the keyboard helps | Possibly a loose screen cable, the known fault on the Series 7 and netBook | It is not known whether the netBook Pro shares the fault.[7] Psion's advice for the earlier machines was to press the logo and, for a longer-lasting repair, to wedge cardboard between the cable and the base; see Screen cable.[7] |
| Faint hum from the display at some brightness settings | CCFL backlight; the panel is a transmissive TFT with a CCFL backlight[9] | Reviewers reported it on new machines; Rothberger heard it only at an extreme setting and barely.[2] |
| Poor readability in bright light | Contrast is fixed; only brightness is adjustable | Not a fault.[2] |
Firmware
[edit | edit source]Psion Teklogix released four updated ROM images after launch, and interim versions through customer support. Rothberger advised every user to update, because the updates fixed the bugs that got in the way of daily use.[2] The last Windows CE 4.20 ROM image is hosted by Paul Vigay's Psion archive.[10]
| Symptom | Probable cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Infrared port almost unusable | IrDA configuration fault in the launch firmware | Fixed in the first operating system update.[11] |
| No infrared dial-up through a mobile phone | No "generic IrDA modem" configuration in the ROM | Add the registry entries by hand.[11] |
| Low-battery warning below 50 % | Early ROM behaviour | Update the ROM.[2] |
| Text cut off in German dialogue boxes | German localisation of Windows CE .NET 4.x; not fixed by any of the four updates | Install the English ROM. The keyboard layout can be set separately in the Control Panel.[2] |
| Slow redraw in video and multimedia | Limited graphics hardware | Not a fault.[2][11] |
BooSt boot menu
[edit | edit source]The netBook Pro's boot firmware, BooSt, has a menu with options to run or clean-start the operating system, load an image over YMODEM, show the OS partition configuration, run audio, display, touch and RAM tests, check the NAND flash ECC and erase the flash file system. Marc Nijdam's note gives the key combination Ctrl+Shift+D+Esc after a reset, and a serial console at 115200 baud, 8N1, with hardware flow control.[8] The user manual's route to the boot loader is to reset and hold Ctrl, D and On.[5]
A superuser mode, entered with a 33-68 kΩ resistor across two pins of the docking connector on the underside, adds commands for NAND flash, keyboard layout and touchscreen calibration. Nijdam reports that a machine that has had Linux installed can fail the normal NAND ECC and erase options, and that the NAND must then be erased from block 18 upwards in superuser mode. Erasing below block 18 erases BooSt itself and leaves the machine unbootable.[8]
Power and battery faults
[edit | edit source]| Symptom | Probable cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Battery percentage wrong | Gauge not calibrated | Charge fully, then discharge fully. Four events reset calibration; see Psion netBook Pro Battery Service.[12] |
| Gauge keeps returning to "Not calibrated" | Pack behaving differently from its calibration, as an aged or re-celled pack does | Recalibrate; replace or rebuild the pack if it persists.[12] |
| Machine sleeps too soon or never sleeps | Power scheme settings | The Dim, Stand-By and Suspend timeouts are cumulative; Psion Teklogix recommend a total of about 10 minutes.[13] |
| Everything in internal memory lost | Main pack and backup cells both ran flat | Not recoverable. Data in the Flash folder survives.[3][14] |
Case and hinge faults
[edit | edit source]- Machines are offered for sale with a hinge broken or missing; in 2023 one dealer had six for sale, all missing the left hinge. Collectors report that the hinges broke even when the machines were new.[15] Other owners report intact machines, and Rothberger praised the hinge mechanism.[15][2] In the same thread, collectors warned that old plastic becomes brittle, that adhesive repairs can attack the plastic or fail, and that a sticking or misaligned hinge strains the whole device.[15]
- The hinge contains a switch that can suspend the machine on closing and wake it on opening.[2]
- The rubberised lid covering stands proud of its recess on many machines, from new.[2]
- The rubber port caps pull out easily and can tear off.[11]
Resets
[edit | edit source]| Reset | Procedure | What survives |
|---|---|---|
| End a task | Press Alt+Tab, or Ctrl+Alt+Delete briefly, to open the Task Manager; select the task and press End Task. | Everything else. |
| Soft reset | Start, Run, "warmboot"; or hold Ctrl+Alt+Delete for three seconds; or press the reset button, in a hole to the right of the right-hand Shift key, for about a second. After the reset button, press Esc/On to switch back on. | Changes to open files are lost; other files "will almost always be safe". warmboot saves registry changes. |
| Hard reset | Remove all batteries and AC power; the machine reboots when the main battery or AC power is restored. Remove the backup cells first and refit them last. | Everything in RAM is lost. Data and registry settings in non-volatile flash storage are kept. The ActiveSync partnership may need recreating. |
The manual notes that a soft reset after a program failure can, rarely, lose the internal flash storage or fail to work, and a hard reset is then needed.[4]
Stylus size
[edit | edit source]
The netBook Pro does not take the same size stylus as previous Psion devices like the netBook, Series 7 or Series 5. If you force a pen in, you will almost definitely damage the mainboard. Do not attempt to force a non-Pro stylus into the stylus hole. There have been examples of people damaging logic boards by forcing non-Pro styluses into the hole (see image).
Repairability
[edit | edit source]| Part | Repairable? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Firmware | Yes | Four post-launch ROM images; the last is hosted publicly.[2][10] |
| Battery pack | Yes | See Psion netBook Pro Battery Service. |
| Backup cells | Yes | Two alkaline AAA cells behind a user cover.[3] |
| Lid covering | Yes | Re-gluing is cosmetic work.[2] |
| Rubber port caps | No source known | Keep the originals; the Honda connector cap identifies the revision.[2] |
| Hinges | Difficult | Adhesive repairs risk the plastic. A donor machine is the alternative.[15] |
| Built-in modem, USB client | No | Present only on the later revision.[2] |
| RAM and flash | No | Soldered to the main board; a failure means a donor board. |
Capacitors
[edit | edit source]Replace capacitors only on evidence from the board, such as corrosion from leaked backup cells. See Capacitor Failure Symptoms and Capacitors on the Series 7 page.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Psion netBook Pro
- Psion netBook Pro General Maintenance
- Psion netBook Pro Battery Service
- Psion netBook Pro Documentation
- Psion Series 7 Troubleshooting Guide
- Psion netBook Troubleshooting Guide
- Battery Explosion, Capacitor or Corrosion Damage
- Recommended Tools
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Psion Teklogix, NETBOOK PRO User Manual, P/N 8100012 Rev C, 27 May 2004. Hosted on this wiki: File:Psion netBook Pro User Manual (Rev C).pdf.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Jürgen Rothberger, "Review: Psion Netbook Pro" (in German), July 2007. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 NETBOOK PRO User Manual Rev C, p. 18 (the internal backup battery).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 NETBOOK PRO User Manual Rev C, pp. 33-34 (soft and hard reset).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 NETBOOK PRO User Manual Rev C, pp. 119-120 (troubleshooting: password, turning on and off, resetting).
- ↑ NETBOOK PRO User Manual Rev C, p. 15 (finding and using the stylus).
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Psion Netbook Pro - unresponsive touchscreen", HPC:Factor forums, October 2011. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Marc Nijdam, "How to enter the BooSt superuser mode in the Netbook Pro", v1.0, July 2007. Hosted on this wiki: File:Psion netBook Pro BooSt Supervisor Mode.pdf.
- ↑ Psion Teklogix, "NETBOOK PRO Hand-Held Computer" specification sheet, NBPRO 05/05. Hosted on this wiki: File:Psion netBook Pro Specification Sheet.pdf.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Psion, NetBook, NetBook Pro and EPOC Support", vigay.com. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Jürgen Rothberger, "Review: Psion Netbook Pro" (in German), original version, March 2004. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 NETBOOK PRO User Manual Rev C, pp. 21-22 (battery calibration).
- ↑ NETBOOK PRO User Manual Rev C, pp. 22-24 (power saving schemes).
- ↑ NETBOOK PRO User Manual Rev C, p. 65 (The Flash folder).
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 "How bad is the 'hinge defect' on the Psion Teklogix Pro Netbook?", HPC:Factor forums, September-October 2023. Retrieved 2026-09-30.