Hard Reset and Outlook Calendar

[LeapinLew]

When I first got my Axim I treated it like my Palm. I would install all these apps to check out. The difference is- the Axim doesn't like having a ton of different kinds of software loaded on it - there are some compatability issues between the software and the OS. Don't get me wrong - the Palm would occasionally not like some software - it didn't cause the whole machine to be forced into a soft/hard reset.

I finally decided I would play with the software I wanted to, see which I liked and which were stable and then I would do a hard reset and reinstall the apps I wanted. Found some great programs like Calendar+, Wispbar, and TDLaunch - all thanks to Aximsite.com. I figured, for future use, everytime I wanted to install a new peice of software I would perform a data backup so I could restore if something bad were to happen. Just typical safe computing.

Well this weekend I did the hard reset and when I docked to the cradle - I created a standard partnership and synched up my computer with the Ax. Maybe some of you can tell me where I went wrong, but I never saw a setting that said - let the Axim overwrite everything on your computer. What it did was remove all of my contacts in outlook and all of my appointments. This is no minor thing for me either - I used my palm religously and when I got the Axim - I just switched from Palm to Axim and used the axim as the same way to store my contacts and keep my appointments.

I'm pretty pissed about the whole thing. I am no novice computer user, but it doesn't mean I didn't miss something. Maybe in the PPC world things are different, but with a palm, I could put a new palm on an existing computer and have no fears of it removing data.

So... if anyone has any suggestions on how I can get my next 2 weeks appointments back - I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Lewis

[Mike C]

Do you have Go-back, or something similar?

I believe the settings for how to resolve differences between the Axim and the PC are in Active Sync Tools, Options, Rules.

[royboy81]

Yeah, but I think his point is that "Shouldn't Activesync have asked before it overwrote the desktop?" I haven't done this myself, but that would piss me off too. It will be good to know if I need to do this.

[Mike C]

I know it's frustrating, but it's just a dumb machine. If you do a hard reset, and accept the old partnership, it will logically assume you meant to clean out all the files ... the latest versions will be used.
I know it's too late, but when you sync after a hard reset, you have to sign on as a guest to either restore, or establish the rules again. I guess it should be in bold type someplace.

I'm not sticking up for the software ... it's just the way it works.

[Donna]

So... if anyone has any suggestions on how I can get my next 2 weeks appointments back - I would appreciate it.

Do you have Outlook set to any sort of automatic backup? If so, you could get back at least whatever was there on the last backup. (Mine does an auto backup of all my folders to a PST file on the PC every week, and once a month I back that file up to CD)

If you ever retrieve your contacts, you might want to do a manual export of those onto a floppy or CD so that you can restore them just in case. You can also do it with rules and any folder you have in your outlook box.

Bummer if you lost everything, I know how that is. (which is why I back up everything all the time and have the Go Back program)

Donna

[Donna]

Another thought...

You didn't by any chance have a PIM or total backup on an SD or CF card that's in the Axim, did you?

Donna

[JakeRich]

Just a very small point: The culprit is not the Axim or Dell, but Microsoft. When you re-established the partnership after the hard reset, I would bet you had given the "new" Axim the same device name it had before. When you sync'ed, what Activesync saw was the same machine attaching, but now with all appointments, contacts, etc., deleted. So Activesync did what it does, it synced the PC version to match what it assumed you had done on the PPC, erasing the entries.

Had you given the Axim a different device name, then synced, Activesync would have done just the opposite. It would have brought the NEW PPC into agreement with the desktop, downloading all contacts, appointments, etc. And if you call M$ about the "problem" they will say it's a "feature" and not be terribly sympathetic.

There is another way, and that is to have the PC always overwrite the PPC, at least for that first sync, then return it to reporting conflicts, but I have found that that does not always put ALL information back on the PPC, even though it should. I use the changed name approach now, and it works the way I want.

I know this doesn't help your immediate situation, but I've done that same thing myself. Fortunately I had a fairly recent backup of Outlook, so I was able to restore MOST of what I lost. It's also unfortunate that the documentation from M$ is a little less than totally clear on this point, but if you dig through the stuff at www.microsoft.com, you can find it. I think personally that Activesync ought to treat "major" changes the same way Windows treats "delete files" commands and get a confirmation that that is what I want to do. But I'm not Bill Gates, so I can't make it rational. (Nor can he, apparently ;) )

[LeapinLew]

I did not and could not use the same name - it told me the name was already in use.

And, I forget sometimes I'm using Pocket PC OS and not just an Axim. I have no complaints about the Axim - I use the words Axim and Pocket PC OS as if they are interchangeable and I shouldn't - cause they aren't.

With all that being said, the blasted thing prompts me 10 times if I'm sure if it can do even the smallest thing. You would think it would at least prompt me to see if it was ok to delete all my contacts and calendar information(side note - I sync mail too, but because my mailbox was clean I'm not sure if it would have wiped out any email messages)

Is it all gone? Well, Donna gave me an idea I should have thought about already. I am the network admin here and my daily backups were good. With the version of backup software I use I can restore all the way down to the mailbox level, including individual appointments. I just sent the tape off for offsite underground storage. I'll retrieve it later today to put my information back. Thanks for the brain kickstart Donna.

I decided to play with my new PDA and test its limits before I started using it as my normal day to day Palm replacement. Just got peeved it could delete all my information like that. Was wondering if anyone else had the same thing happen and if it was avoidable.

Just a warning to anyone else.... It was easy to do

[Donna]

Thanks for the brain kickstart Donna.

You're very welcome.

And look on the bright side, look at how many people we've just saved from the same fate as you were going through a while ago.

Donna

[JakeRich]

Originally posted by LeapinLew@Feb 10 2003, 02:48 PM
I did not and could not use the same name - it told me the name was already in use.

That's unsettling. My experience was that my last hard reset was on a Casio E125 that had CE 3.11 on it, and it let me rename the PPC the same and then sync up, which is how I wiped out the entries on the desktop. I haven't hard reset my Ax. It must be that they've put something in the registry now to track name changes or detect hard resets. If it first forced you to use a different name because it knew you had done a hard reset and THEN wiped everything out that is just plain Ugly with a Capital U! On initial sync it didn't do that, it forced the PC stuff on the Ax, without giving us a choice there, either. After a hard reset it should have done the same thing. I know there are serial number and unique identifiers hard coded into the machine, but if you hard reset and then sync the logic should be to put everything back on the Ax, or as you said, at least ask what to do, for crying out loud! What are they thinking in Redmond? (Or are they thinking in Redmond? )

I know we often mix up Axim and M$, I do that myself. It's just that so many people want to complain about hardware when the real culprit is the lousy M$ software that I wanted to point that out. It's a pet peeve. My apology for venting it.

[LeapinLew]

As I stated: I may be at fault. If anyone can see where I went terribly wrong let me know. As of right now, I'll make sure I have everything backed up before I do a hard reset. I assumed the data on my PC was safe. Either I did something wrong or it's a "feature" I wasn't familiar with.

[Mike C]

There's an easy way around this name game. Just rename the Axim and then,
whenever you have to hard reset, don't rename it ... it will be restored in the process with everything else.

As far as doing anything wrong, that could only be syncing a newly-emptied Axim to an existing partnership.
Forgive me if I misunderstood, but if you delete a file on the Axim, you'd expect it to be deleted from the PC on next sync, eh?

[LeapinLew]

As far as doing anything wrong, that could only be syncing a newly-emptied Axim to an existing partnership.
Forgive me if I misunderstood, but if you delete a file on the Axim, you'd expect it to be deleted from the PC on next sync, eh?

It wasn't a newly-emptied Axim - it was a hard reset Axim. Big difference. The way I understand it now, if I walk up to your computer that has an Active Sync on it and a cradle and I sync to your computer - it will wipe all your data and replace it with mine.

Yes, if I delete something on my Axim I would expect it to delete it from the PC. But if it's an Axim that has just been hard reset - I wouldn't expect it to delete all appointments and contacts from my outlook. I never could dismiss an appointment on the Ax and it would dismiss from the same appointment from.

I dunno - I hope after I do my tape restore tomorrow and install the bare minimum I need on the Ax it'll work like a champ. I was getting some weird errors from installing and removing so much software. Word and Excel quit working - Media player quit 2 winamp type applications later.

It's a good thing - just irks me all my data can be gone so easily. I don't believe I made a newbie mistake and pretty sure it could happen to anyone pretty easily.

[Mike C]

It wasn't a newly-emptied Axim - it was a hard reset Axim

A hard reset axim has had all user files removed from RAM ... only the fresh, untouched OS remains. The registry is in original condition. How is that not emptied? It's what I meant by newly-emptied. Your now empty contacts folder on the axim ... with a recent activity date ... will replace the older files on the PC. The PC can't tell changes you meant to make from changes you didn't know you made. It just looks for changes.

If you could get your pda to look like mine, ID wise, and I'm sure it's more than just the name, it would indeed swap all your files for mine. That's what Active Sync does.

[enob]

If I recall isn't there an option in Activesync for which direction you want it to sync ??
Maybe after a hard reset you can change the sync to only go to the PDA for the first time and then change it back after the first sync ??