VisorCentral.com - Help! My Visor Deluxe and my wife's new Palm IIIxe dont get along!

Show 20 posts from this thread on one page

VisorCentral.com (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/index.php)
- How To / Troubleshooting (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=2)
-- Help! My Visor Deluxe and my wife's new Palm IIIxe dont get along! (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=12262)

Posted by john q public on 02-26-2001 04:09 AM:

I have a Visor Deluxe USB, and my wife just a Palm IIIxe. The Hotsyncing software on our home computer is not working with her Palm IIxe.
This is what I have tried already:

1) Installed the Palm software that came with her Palm IIXe (but that does not support USB for Visor, so I removed it).

2) Reinstalled the Palm desktop software from my original Visor CD (Desktop 3.0.1, with hot sync manager 3.0.2Hb). When I reinstalled the Palm desktop software, I selected that it support both the USB and serial ports. I am 99% sure that my modem is running on COM2, so I chose COM1 for the serial (Palm IIIxe).Result: My Visor works on the Palm desktop, but nothing happens when I try to HotSync the Palm IIxe.

So now I am stuck! Any help would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

Posted by RoofusPennymore on 02-26-2001 04:19 AM:

I think you are going to change the setting in the HotSync manager from USB to Serial. I'm assuming you are using windows so click on the hotsync icon in the tray.

Posted by john q public on 02-26-2001 04:31 AM:

When I click on the Hotsync manager in the tray, it has both the USB and the Local serial selected.

Are you suggesting I deselect the local USB when attempting to Hotsync the Palm IIxe and have only the Local serial selected?

Posted by john q public on 02-26-2001 04:08 PM:

Still not working....

Still trying but no luck yet - any help would be appreciated from a member that has both a Visor USB and a Palm IIIxe Serial on the same computer

Posted by Hoser_back_home on 02-26-2001 04:09 PM:

That should do it John. Also make sure that the settings for your USB and Serial port are correct (COM port number) I use COM4 for the USB and COM2 for the serial (as an example) it might be different for you.

__________________
Ever feel like the train left while you were busy reading the paper?

Stealth-Mod.

Posted by john q public on 02-26-2001 04:24 PM:

Hoser in America,

Thanks for prompt reply.

I am at work now (where I use just my Visor USB; my home computer has the Palm + Visor problems), so I cannot make changes immediately.

However, I will try the following tonight on my home computer when I get back:

1)Click on the HotSync manager.
2)Deselect the local USB when attempting to Hotsync the Palm IIIxe and have only the Local serial selected.
3) Go to Setup in the HotSync Manager, Local tab, and make sure that the Local port is COM1 (my modem is confirmed as COM2, so it has to be COM1, right?)
4)Go to Setup in the HotSync Manager, Modem tab, and make sure that the Modem port is COM2.

Do you think the above will fix it? Do you have both a Visor USB and Palm Serial on your computer?

Thanks!

Posted by potter on 02-26-2001 04:32 PM:

Re: Still not working....

quote:
Originally posted by john q public
Still trying but no luck yet - any help would be appreciated from a member that has both a Visor USB and a Palm IIIxe Serial on the same computer

I do not have a IIIxe, but on the home computer we do HotSync my Visor via USB, a Palm III, and on old Palm 5000. I have to move cables for the last two.

Anyways, a few questions: Have you every got your wife's Palm IIIxe to sync to this computer? Could you verify that you modem is indeed COM2? How many physical COM ports do you have on the back of your computer? Does this computer have an IR port? Could your check your BIOS settings to see what COM port are enabled?

Posted by john q public on 02-26-2001 04:46 PM:

Potter,

Thanks for reply.

1) Q: Have you every got your wife's Palm IIIxe to sync to this computer?

A: No. I just got it last night and tried several times to Sync - no luck.

2)Q: Could you verify that you modem is indeed COM2?

A: Yes. When I went to the control panel, modem, then properties, it showed COM2 (also when I reinstalled the HotSync Manager and had the internet on, it gave two options for the Serial port, and # 2 was busy, thus confirming that my modem is # 2).

3) Q: How many physical COM ports do you have on the back of your computer?
A: I dont know. Will check this evening. COM ports are just the 1" or so Serial connections, correct? Meaning they are all the same size as the one being used by the serial cradle, correct?

4) Q: Does this computer have an IR port?
A: I am not sure what this exactly. Please explain a bit if you have a chance.

5) Q: Could your check your BIOS settings to see what COM port are enabled?
A: Please advise how I could do this.

Thanks!

Posted by Hoser_back_home on 02-26-2001 06:48 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by john q public
Hoser in America,

Thanks for prompt reply.

...

Do you think the above will fix it? Do you have both a Visor USB and Palm Serial on your computer?

Thanks!

It looks like it should do the trick John. I used to have a Palm VIIx and I managed to get it and my USB Visor cradle syncing. I'll let potter explain his requests, if my suggested fix doesn't work then you'll definately need to follow potter's suggestions and get that information.

Good Luck!

__________________
Ever feel like the train left while you were busy reading the paper?

Stealth-Mod.

Posted by BEN on 02-26-2001 10:31 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by john q public
Potter,

3) Q: How many physical COM ports do you have on the back of your computer?
A: I dont know. Will check this evening. COM ports are just the 1" or so Serial connections, correct? Meaning they are all the same size as the one being used by the serial cradle, correct?

No, com ports can also come in a variation which looks like an LPT port.

quote:

4) Q: Does this computer have an IR port?
A: I am not sure what this exactly. Please explain a bit if you have a chance.

An IR port will come in two form factors. One will be a physical IR port with a darkened window, and the other will be a connection in the back of the computer that looks like a mini-din connection.

BEN

Posted by potter on 02-27-2001 03:35 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by john q public
1) Q: Have you every got your wife's Palm IIIxe to sync to this computer?

A: No. I just got it last night and tried several times to Sync - no luck.

Okay, then my feeling here is that the USB and Handspring software is just a wild haring. We need to concentrate on the COM ports.

quote:
2)Q: Could you verify that you modem is indeed COM2?

A: Yes. When I went to the control panel, modem, then properties, it showed COM2 (also when I reinstalled the HotSync Manager and had the internet on, it gave two options for the Serial port, and # 2 was busy, thus confirming that my modem is # 2).

That is a good conformation. So the Palm IIIxe cradle is most likely either attached to COM1 or to a disabled port.

quote:
3) Q: How many physical COM ports do you have on the back of your computer?
A: I dont know. Will check this evening. COM ports are just the 1" or so Serial connections, correct? Meaning they are all the same size as the one being used by the serial cradle, correct?

Serial ports on Windows boxes are typically that. Most defiantly if the box was built in the last three years. Though as mentioned by BEN, they can be a larger connector, the size of the parallel printer port, but with the opposite gender. That is the opposite gender of a parallel port, but the same as the smaller serial port. Typically Win-Boxes that are made now a days have two of the smaller serial ports on the back. However under BIOS control, the ports may be disabled, or mapped to be different COM ports.

If there are two serial ports on the back, try attaching the Palm IIIxe to the other port. Could be that the current one is disabled.

quote:
4) Q: Does this computer have an IR port?
A: I am not sure what this exactly. Please explain a bit if you have a chance.

You can go by BEN's description, or we can just skip this point until we get into the BIOS settings below.

quote:
5) Q: Could your check your BIOS settings to see what COM port are enabled?
A: Please advise how I could do this.

When one first powers on the computer, there is usually a message that flashes on the screen about how to get the BIOS setting or to get the system setup, or some such message. Usually it asks for you to press some key, such as the F1, F10, Delete, or Insert. However you only have a couple of seconds to respond before it continues with the boot up process.

Once in, you will be presented with a ruff menu to select and set various things about your computer. General advice here, don't change anything that you don't know what it does. Anyways, explore these menus and see if you can find anything about the serial ports. Often there are setting for the two serial ports, allowing one to set: The address, the interrupt, enable/disable and some times redirect to the IR port. If you find these, could you report back what they are currently set to?

Posted by john q public on 02-28-2001 12:53 AM:

FIXED!

Hoser, Roofus, Potter, Ben,

Thanks to everyone above my Visor USB and my wife's Palm IIIxe are now syncing. Here's how I did it, for future VisorCentral members.

1) I confirmed that my modem was on COM2 by going to the control panel, modem, and looking in properties.
2) I moved the Palm IIIxe's cradle connection in the back of my computer. There are two physical COM/serial ports available (one on top of the other, in a vertical line). The Palm cradle was originally on the bottom COM; I moved it to top one (which turned out to be COM1).
3) Clicked on the HotSync manager in the tray, and went to Setup.
4) I moved my Local to COM1.
5) I moved my Modem to COM2.
6) I have both the local USB and local Serial selected/checked(if anyone has the same type of problems I had, then they need to re-install the HotSync manager from my original Visor CD, and chose the USB and Serial port setup in order to have both the USB + serial choice).
7) I can now HotSync both my Visor Deluxe USB and my wife's Palm IIIxe.
8) I am sure you will see me back here when I decide to upgrade to Palm Desktop 4 (but basis the other posts I have seen, best that I wait till Visor issues their own upgrade, since Palm 4 does not support USB, and you need to reinstall the Hot Sync manager from your Visor CD and then copy/paste some individual files).

I am quite pleased right now that both devices are working -thanks again to everyone.

John Q

Posted by Hoser_back_home on 02-28-2001 07:25 PM:

Well, men, another job well done. Now that this thread is safe, let's get back to home base......

<BEEEEP>

uh oh....i'm getting a distress signal from another thread...

QUICK EVERYONE....TO THE VISOR-SHIP!!!

(congrats John. I've upgraded to the Palm Desktop 4.0 and it was extremely simple. Let me know if you want to tackle it someday!)

__________________
Ever feel like the train left while you were busy reading the paper?

Stealth-Mod.

Posted by kev77 on 03-01-2001 06:00 PM:

Having same prob but in Win 2000

I'm having the same prob too...syncing my Visor Deluxe and Palm IIIxe with computer running on Win 2000. It was working perfectly b4 this when I did the necessary stuff for Win 2000 syncing. I made a big boo-boo when I installed the Palm CD into the same dir as my Visor's. Only Palm sync works but not Visor. Visor sync would hang Win 2000 with a blue screen at the beginning of hotsync at the 'identifying user' stage. So I uninst the whole Palm Desktop prog and reinst the Visor's. The same thing happens. It still doesn't work although I did the steps mentioned above. HELP!!!

Posted by john q public on 03-08-2001 09:43 PM:

Kev77,

1) When you reinstalled the Visor CD (just the HotSync manager), did you choose both the serial (for the Palm IIIxe) and USB (for the Visor) options? It is the bottom option.

2) Assuming you did # 1, then make sure the serial port you chose (for your Palm device) is correct.

3) Go through the other steps I mentioned in my "fixed" post in detail.

Keep me posted.

John

Posted by kev77 on 03-09-2001 04:17 PM:

Thanx John. I've reinstalled the Visor's CD and chosen serial & USB. Now both devices can sync perfectly. The prob now lies with opening Palm Desktop. I use Win2k and there's no prob for me to open Palm Desktop. But my dad cannot open it when he logs in as himself. I even tried installing the Palm IIIxe's Palm Desktop on CD on a separate directory and point it there but still the same prob. I gues this is a Win2k prob and not Palm's now. I'm looking for solutions in the Palm website now. But if anyone has anything to contribute, pls do.

All times are GMT. The time now is 02:46 AM.

Show 20 posts from this thread on one page