Member Avatar for pete08

Hi,

I have two problems:

- can someone give me some idea about Start.Process syntax for mobile devices, I'm blocked
- How can I get device ID

Pete

  • 2 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 108 Views
  • 7 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by pete08

Dani AI

Generated

asked the right clarifying question and confirmed this is .NET Compact Framework 3.5 running on a Nomad-style handheld. Two concise, practical points follow: how to start another executable from CF, and how to obtain a device identifier on Windows CE / Windows Mobile devices.

For launching an app from CF 3.5 the managed entry point is System.Diagnostics.Process.Start; on handhelds that usually means passing the full device path to the EXE. Example:

// from a CF 3.5 app on device
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(@"\Program Files\TargetApp\TargetApp.exe");

If Process.Start throws or silently fails: confirm the exact path with a remote file explorer, verify the binary is built for the device CPU (ARM vs x86), check that the file actually exists on the device, and confirm app privileges. Note that Compact Framework/shell on many CE devices does not support desktop-style file associations; opening a data file with its default viewer may need a native call or a registry lookup. Microsoft docs for Process.Start are a useful reference: Process.Start (System.Diagnostics) — Microsoft Docs.

For a device-unique ID there are two common native approaches: use KernelIoControl with IOCTL_HAL_GET_DEVICEID (widely supported on WinCE devices) or call the GetDeviceUniqueID API when present. Both require P/Invoke from CF and sample implementations (including parsing and salt/hash handling) are available in community writeups such as the CodeProject article Getting a Unique ID for a Windows Mobile Device. Important caveats: returned formats vary by OEM, values can change after a hard reset/reimage, and uniqueness guarantees are not universal — choose the method appropriate for licensing vs telemetry and document the stability assumptions.

Knowing the exact OS build (Windows Mobile 5 vs 6 vs plain CE) on the Nomad will narrow which native API is best; if Process.Start fails repeatedly, falling back to a native CreateProcess/Kernal call is the usual next step.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for jbennet

Which version of the .NET CF are you using?
Which platform and version are you developing for

Member Avatar for pete08

I'm using .NET CF 3.5
Platform is Nomad

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.