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-- Synced OK at work w/serial, can't sync at home w/USB (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=11697)

I just got a new Platinum a couple of days ago. I wanted to be able to sync it with both my work PC (Win95, serial port) and my home PC (Win98 USB), so I purchased the serial cradle along with it. The first thing I did was hook up the serial cradle at work, install the Desktop software, and sync. Everything worked fine, loading my Platinum with about 150 Calendar entries, 200 Addresses, and about 20 Memo's and To-Do's. I synced a couple more times during the day, and everything always worked perfectly. Then I took it home, hooked up the USB cradle, and installed the Desktop software. Up to this point, everything seemed fine. But I cannot get a usable sync to occur with this home setup...each time, the progress dialog that pops up on screen quickly cycles through the various conduits (Synchronizing Calendar, Synchronizing Address, etc.), with the whole process taking only 3 or 4 seconds. When it finishes, I go check the Desktop software, and it's obvious the sync didn't work...there are no Calendar entries, and just 2 entries in the Address, the Memo, and the To-Do's. And all six of these entries are garbage...just a few meaningless characters and symbols in each. I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling the Desktop software several times. I've tried plugging the cradle into a different USB port (note that I have a USB keyboard, mouse, printer, and scanner, all of which are working fine). I tried telling HotSync Manager to have the handheld overwrite the Desktop. But nothing is working. I don't know if there's a problem with the cradle, the handheld, the software, or something else. I don't know if syncing first to a serial port cradle somehow disables the ability to use a USB cradle. Or is it just not possible to sync to two different PCs? Oh, another thing I tried was changing the "name" of the setup during one of the reinstalls. I noticed that when I first installed the software at work, I had to enter a "name" to call the setup and installation, for which I just used my own name. But when I installed it at home, I noticed it already had that name pre-loaded during the install, so at first I just left it the same. After failing to sync several times, I tried entering a new name during one of the reinstalls of the software. But then it wouldn't even connect the handheld during a sync attempt, so I assume the name that was first used must be the only one it will accept. In any event, I would appreciate any help you can give me for getting this thing to sync at home with the USB cradle. (Note that it continues to work fine when syncing to the work PC/serial cradle.)

A couple of thoughts...

- When you installed the Desktop software at home, was it 3.1 version? I'm fairly certain that is what ships with the Platniums. But, just in case it isn't, you can download the 3.1 software (which incorporates the 3.01 fixes that addressed a USB connectivity issue) from the Handspring web site.

- Although you didn't mention it, was there a checkmark next to the "Local USB" selection in the HotSync Manager menu? (click on the HotSync manager and see; if you haven't looked).

- What does the HotSync log say?

- You mentioned you have other USB devices connected... Do you also have a USB Hub? There aren't many PCs (yet) that have more then 2 USB ports, so that's why I'm asking. If you are using a Hub, is it a powered hub? Passive USB hubs might not provide enough "oomph" to all the devices.

The Palm Desktop software indicates that it is 3.1 (in HELP>ABOUT).

I do have a 4-port powered hub that I was attaching the cradle to. I tried unplugging everything else from the hub, to see if that would help, but no change.

The first time I try syncing with the USB cradle (after installing or reinstalling the software), the log does have a couple of weird entries...it tells me that one Calendar entry and two To-Do entries were scheduled before 1970, which isn't allowed, and tells me that each of them has been moved to 08/11/1970??? I cannot find ANY entries anywhere that are scheduled before Dec. 2000, and even after the log says it moved them, there is nothing on that 8/11/1970 date either?? Note that I got no such warning when syncing at work. But then every subsequent attempt at syncing with the USB cradle (at least until I try reinstalling the software again) shows no errors. It simply looks like this:

HotSync operation started 02/09/01 06:52:47
OK Date Book
OK Address Book
OK To Do List
OK Memo Pad
-- Backing up db ConnectionDB to file C:\Program Files\Palm\BickelC\Backup\ConnectionDB.PDB
-- Backing up db Saved Preferences to file C:\Program Files\Palm\BickelC\Backup\Saved_Preferences.PRC
OK System
HotSync operation complete 02/09/01 06:52:51

But nothing gets synced...there's still only the six tiny "garbage" entries between the Calendar, Memo, and To-Do.

I do have a checkmark next to "Local USB" if I right-click on the HotSync Manager. But I did notice something last night that I thought was the problem. I found that if I brought up the Hotsync screen on the Visor, it said "Direct USB/Serial" right under the icon you would click on to start a sync, which looked right. But later I found that if I brought up the menu on that screen and selected "Connection Setup", and then selected the "Direct USB/Serial" connection from the list and clicked on Edit, it says that the Connection Method is Serial to PC. It didn't mention anything about USB?! So I created a new connection, labled it USB Only, and set it's Connection Method to USB to PC. But this didn't work either. And I don't understand why a connection labled "Direct USB/Serial" is then set to just "Serial to PC", and I don't understand why there's a USB to PC, a Serial to PC, AND a USB/Serial to PC listed in the connection methods list. Anyway, I've tried everything I can think of, so if you come up with some more ideas, let me know. This has kind of put a damper on my enthusiasm for this new Visor.

On my Platinum most entries in any syncable application can be flagged as PRIVATE. For some reason that's what they had defaulted to. Until I realized that, I too thought nothing was getting uploaded to the PC during hotsync.

So check the privacy options. Both on the records on your Visor and in the desktop application. I'm sure there is a way to allow private records to be visible on the desktop.

Hope that helps.

Dave

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OK, problem solved...I called Visor support today. After several attempts and lots of explaination, it turns out that the problem was I synched with Lotus Notes at work (using the EasySync add-on conduit from Lotus Corp). This apparently flags the database in the Visor in some manner that keeps them from syncing with anything else. They had me download something called BeamBox from http://www.inkverse.com, and install it on the Visor. It's meant to allow you to beam databases and applications between handhelds, which really isn't part of what I wanted to do, but it also allows you to see and delete files on the Visor that you wouldn't normally have access to. Using this application, they had me delete SyncAddressDB, SyncDateDB, SyncMemoDB, and SyncToDoDB (or something like that, I forget the actual names). Once this was done, I was able to easily get it to sync all it's data to the Desktop software at home. So the cradle and the setup works fine, it's just something about having synced with Lotus Notes at work that was creating my problem. Of course, now the question is will my sync at work perform correctly? Maybe I should be using something like IntelliSync both at home and work to avoid this kind of problem??