Q: When I use the RESTART.EXE application in the Windows folder, everything in the file system is the same, but the real-time clock gets reset. I thought this was the same as going to sleep and waking up. What does this application actually do?
The Restart application applies a full reset to the processor in the same way that the reset button does. However, power is maintained to the RAM. When the processor restarts, it begins executing directly from RAM rather than having to copy the CE image into RAM from flash. Any applications that were running at the time of restart are shut down and program memory is cleared.
The Restart application is very useful during application development, especially to quickly take care of rogue processes and programs. The restart process preserves the registry settings, including ActiveSync partnership settings. You can quickly reestablish communication with the host PC for debugging. ActiveSync also synchronizes your device to the PC clock.
RESTART.EXE performs a full reboot of the operating system. The object store is preserved, which is why the registry and file system remain intact.
All device drivers are reinitialized during the reboot of CE. This is best evidenced by the ADSLOAD.REG file reader, which overwrites overlapping entries that have changed since the last boot (see this topic for details).
----------------------- Drew Kidder ADS Technology Transfer
I am using VB.NET for compact framework and there is no shell function. Could anyone tell me how to initiate RESTART.EXE or any method to restart the device from code?