There's frequently a catch with free software for Windows platforms: it comes with limited functions, with built-in expiry, or some sort of malware attached.

Imagine my surprise when I loaded Total Commander's CE/PPC version onto my HTC Wizard. It's neat, powerful...and there are no strings attached.

It may look like a return to the early 90s (all 'Commander' software seems to be based on the legendary 'Norton Commander' of yesteryear), but hidden inside that bit of code is probably the most useful file-management utility ever for the HTC Wizard: cross-LAN access.

It sure is frustrating being a newbie. You buy a fancy phone which comes with dozens of useful functions, looks neat and does everything it says on the box - except one thing.

And that one thing drags the whole joy of having a new gadget down.

I'm talking about the ActiveSync problem. It's been widely documented that ActiveSync 4.0 and ActiveSync 4.1 don't recognize the HTC Wizard/MDA Vario properly. You can keep reinstalling the software and re-plugging the USB cable as much as you like, ActiveSync just doesn't connect.