Activesync "Retrieving Settings" - Never Does

dustinkelly · 12-11-06, 03:31 AM

I have just recently purchased an Axim x51v. I have had it for three day now and have yet to get Activesync to work. When I activate it, the activesync pops up and sees that I have my Axim plugged in , but just sits in "Retrieving Settings" mode and goes no further.

I have tried the following to fix...

Uninstalled and reinstalled 4.1 three times...
Uninstalled and reinstalled 4.2 three times...
Uninstalled and reinstalled 4.5 beta three times...
Used DELL's troubleshooter a few times... (goes in circles)
Added Activesync to my Sygate Firewall as a new access rule...

Still sits there in "Retrieving Settings" mode. Please help me if you can..

I am running xp on my PC and mobile 5 on my PPC.

Thanks - Dustin

"What we do in Life, Echo's in Eternity"

Julie · 12-11-06, 09:15 AM

This certainly sounds like a firewall issue to me. Can you uninstall Sygate just to see if you are able to sync. If so, reinstall Sygate, set up the exception and then try to sync. Sometimes ActiveSync prefers to be installed first.

julie

DennistheMennis · 12-20-06, 05:52 PM

I have what appears to be the same problem, where I try to create a sync relationship between my PPC and my PC and get the "Retrieving settings" message ad infinitum.

I have a Sprint PPC-6700 with Windows Mobile 5.0 Phone Edition, and ActiveSync 4.2 running on both my behind-the-firewall work desktop PC, my at-home work notebook PC, and my personal home desktop PC. All are running Windows XP; regular or Pro versions. I am not using a firewall on my work PCs (but the desktop is behind our corporate firewall), but have Norton Firewall on my home PC, so either the firewall isn't the issue, or having one up actually helps! ;)

I was able to set up my PPC pretty quickly, and just as quickly synced up with my home PC, but neither of my work PCs have been able to get past the "Retrieving settings" message. Reinstalled ActiveSync, but still no go. Home PC still syncs just fine.

My old PPC, an iPAQ hx2415, synced flawlessly with my work PC and my home PC. Made no changes, and now only the home PC syncs. Very odd. If you hear of a fix, please post it here!

12-20-06, 06:19 PM

In a lot of situations, Microsoft Security Center may be primed to automatically protect your machine when your custom Firewall (Sygate?) was removed. Please check the MS Firewall to confirm that it is also disabled and try again.

Also, there are rumors that the Plaxo service conflicts with with ActiveSync, so if you have this installed as well, you may wish to uninstall it too.

Let us know how this works...

DennistheMennis · 12-20-06, 07:48 PM

Why, I can't say, and the ActiveSync installation should automatically add those exceptions anyway.

But I just went from one handheld device to another; didn't start from scratch, didn't change any settings. And that's when my troubles began. ActiveSync worked with the previous device, and I should have been able to just plug the new device in and have it sync up just like the old one did.

It seems likely that my error, anyway, has to do with the device, not the PC or its settings.

Jogga · 12-21-06, 03:36 AM

Originally Posted by DennistheMennis

Why, I can't say, and the ActiveSync installation should automatically add those exceptions anyway.

But I just went from one handheld device to another; didn't start from scratch, didn't change any settings. And that's when my troubles began. ActiveSync worked with the previous device, and I should have been able to just plug the new device in and have it sync up just like the old one did.

It seems likely that my error, anyway, has to do with the device, not the PC or its settings.

You would think that this would be the case although the pda in question is likely to have a different ROM version from the original and will therefore interact with the pc differently.

I also think that this sounds like a firewall issue: however, I wonder if it is a software firewall issue or a hardware firewall issue. Make sure that any routing equipment is configured to allow the pda to connect.

DennistheMennis · 12-21-06, 03:14 PM

I have Windows Firewall turned off and Sygate Security Agent (not a firewall) disabled, and a direct USB to PC cable connection. Still won't finish the connection; just sticks on "Retrieving settings".

Just for fun, because it didn't work with my iPAQ either, I tried to sync directly with our corporate Exchange server... still doesn't work and I get the same hang on "Retrieving settings". I assume our IT people haven't enabled this, but that's a separate subject anyway.

12-21-06, 03:47 PM

For grins, please uninstall Sygate entirely. I have found that some firewalls (most noticeably ZoneAlarm) continue to affect the equation when they are simply disabled, so it's best to remove them entirely...

DennistheMennis · 12-21-06, 06:29 PM

That did the trick! Thanks!!!

Sygate Security Agent isn't a firewall, but apparently uninstalling it was the fix. Now I'm back up to speed...

12-21-06, 06:50 PM

Originally Posted by DennistheMennis

That did the trick! Thanks!!!

You're welcome! Glad we could get things working again...

Originally Posted by DennistheMennis

Sygate Security Agent isn't a firewall, but apparently uninstalling it was the fix. Now I'm back up to speed...

Because SSA acts like a firewall -in that it enforces rules for IP traffic patterns, performs Intrusion Detection Scanning [IDS], and monitors the host system's overall integrity, it is best to treat it just like a firewall; at least for the purposes of troubleshooting... :)

Originally Posted by Julie

Can you uninstall Sygate just to see if you are able to sync

Good call Julie! You did it again!