FBL

ActiveSync doesn't work. It won't open by putting the Axim in the cradle, or by clicking the icon.
I can't access my Axim running WM2003SE because I can't install, repair, or remove ActiveSync 4.5. When I try, I get the following message:

The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. This can occur if you are running Windows in safe mode, or if the Windows Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance.

The Axim X50v lost its ability to alarm. I tried a Hard reset, followed by Sprite Backup Restore 2 times, but PI files were lost. All I have is a name, date, and a time that's an hour behind.

Sprite Backup is remarkable, and has saved me many times, but it has always required
1. Running the RESTORE from the the self-extracting .exe file on the PPC's CF card;
2. Cradling the Axim for a sync with ActiveSync;
3. Running RESTORE from Sprite's desktop application with it in it's cradle.

But that all depends on ActiveSync working.

Also, Windows Update quit working. It doesn't open IE. It only gives a couple seconds of hour-glass and activity in Task Manager.
And, Maxtor External HD won't open (clicking on the Maxtor's desktop icon does nothing beyond a few seconds of hour-glass).

Last evening, when opening MS Word, I got a message about saving the NORMAL.DOT file. I clicked SAVE. When using files I opened from within Word, I got a messsage saying that I wouldn't be able to link the current file with any thing else.
Tonight, MS WORD would not open by clicking on the Start Menu name. The link is lost.

I was able to open it by selecting a document I edited last evening -- by selecting it from a list in Windows Explorer. I got the following message:

MS Word saved NORMAL.DOT. Do you want to open it? OKAY

When it opened the document, I got yet another message:

This document could not be registered. It will not be possible to create links from other documents to this document.
Okay.

One day last week, I showed my wife how I could access the internet on the Axim -- how it was a lot faster with our new router. I pulled up the DrudgeReport. I clicked on a couple of his links. I am not running any anti-virus on the Axim; don't know if I could've been infected with something coming in through the Axim. (She wasn't as impressed as I was.)

One or two days later, ZoneAlarm quarantined a Trojan file, and the alarm feature on the Axim stopped working. (That could have been when Windows Update, ActiveSync, and Maxtor External HD stopped working.
When I ran the weekly ZoneAlarm scans on Monday, another file was quarantined. (Both files were called Trojans by ZoneAlarm.)

Any ideas on how to restore the Axim? and the lost programs that quit working?
Wow, I've only got 2GB free on C: -- I need to do some spring cleaning.
I think my main goal now might be to back up Outlook's .pst files. I'll have to put them on a USB thumb drive.
I never realized how much I depended on the Axim. I have a lot of information in OUTLOOK that I am constantly accessing. Now I have to crank up the PC.

Many thanks.

jdigitL

sprite backup can be run on the device. has nothing to do with activesync. a backup can be performed to your sd card, you could hard reset your device and execute the backup from the sd card and be back to where you started.

it is a good idea to backup your backups to the host pc, which may require activesync...

sounds like you should back everything up on your device, and on your desktop and save that to a removable or external hard drive. your device needs to be rebuilt from a hard reset. programs and settings need to be reinstalled and configured. its not a good thing to apply a backup when the registry is all messed up as youll restore a messed up registry after the hard reset... what good does that do?

as far as your computer. you need a lot more than 2GB free memory on your computer if youre running any modern os. sounds like a spring cleaning would be too gentle.. you need to MOVE. as in move stuff off your system drive. if your computer runs out of space for the pagefile or virtual memory space, if will start to act more and more unstable.

backup anything you have as far as contacts and emails and things you couldnt just reinstall and either wipe the drive, or move music, pictures, movies and everything to your external or other than system drive...

this may help out activesync and ms word. you list a lot of different things in your thread, but this is the biggest issue overall. after more space is available... you could try to repair ms office in add/remove programs, and you could try to repair activesync by uninstalling it completely (instructions here somewhere) and reinstalling it. then test everything only after youre all done.

some good windows apps that come to mind... jv16 powertools (to clean up your registry and clean temp files and directories), ccleaner (clenaing temp and privacy,(same as jv16)), spybot boclean and some other free antimalware that dont take up much space or resources on your computer...

that should at least point you in the right direction

jd :approve:

FBL

Originally Posted by jdigitL

sprite backup can be run on the device. has nothing to do with activesync. a backup can be performed to your sd card, you could hard reset your device and execute the backup from the sd card and be back to where you started. it is a good idea to backup your backups to the host pc, which may require activesync... sounds like you should back everything up on your device, and on your desktop and save that to a removable or external hard drive. your device needs to be rebuilt from a hard reset. programs and settings need to be reinstalled and configured. its not a good thing to apply a backup when the registry is all messed up as youll restore a messed up registry after the hard reset... what good does that do? as far as your computer. you need a lot more than 2GB free memory on your computer if youre running any modern os. sounds like a spring cleaning would be too gentle.. you need to MOVE. as in move stuff off your system drive. if your computer runs out of space for the pagefile or virtual memory space, if will start to act more and more unstable. backup anything you have as far as contacts and emails and things you couldnt just reinstall and either wipe the drive, or move music, pictures, movies and everything to your external or other than system drive... this may help out activesync and ms word. you list a lot of different things in your thread, but this is the biggest issue overall. after more space is available... you could try to repair ms office in add/remove programs, and you could try to repair activesync by uninstalling it completely (instructions here somewhere) and reinstalling it. then test everything only after youre all done. some good windows apps that come to mind... jv16 powertools (to clean up your registry and clean temp files and directories), ccleaner (clenaing temp and privacy,(same as jv16)), spybot boclean and some other free antimalware that dont take up much space or resources on your computer... that should at least point you in the right direction jd :approve:

Sprite Backup is a jewel -- it has saved me many times. To make it work, it has to be synced with the desktop. Two RESTORES from the desktop after it is in sync with Active Sync, puts it back in perfect shape. But using the self-extracting backup file on my CF card (after a hard reset) left it lacking some Pocket Informant files, so all it does is alarm. I can't access contacts any contacts.

I'm doing some house-cleaning now. Lack of free space could be why System Restore didn't work, and now the only restore points I have are after the date of possible infection. Yes, you're probably right that it is also the cause of the other programs not working, although Outlook, and Firefox (with 8+ tabs open) aren't slowed down.

I'm a pack-rat. This computer started out with a 40GB HD. It was swapped out for a 90GB (partitioned into 3 equal sections. (Free space: C: = 2GB; H: = 8GB; I:= 6GB.)

When I free up another 5 - 10 GB on C:, I'll call Gateway for advice on how to repair WindowsXP, Windows Installer in particular.

How do you remove temporary files? I purchased PC Tune-up for $9.95, but running it made no difference.

I was also able to export my CONTACTS and CALENDAR to a folder I'll put on a thumb drive, as my Maxtor external HD doesn't respond when I click on the Maxtor Manager icon.
(I have a 440-page MS Outlook book that had omitted the words IMPORT & EXPORT form it's index. It took a long time to figure out how to export Contacts & Calendar to a folder I can put on the USB drive. I finally found it on Microsoft Outlook 2003's website by searching for BACKUP. EASY: File/ Import & Export.)
A SEARCH found a page of 75 .pst files spread over the three partitions. That information was hard for me to find.
It seemed like the last version of Outlook had cluster of 4 .pst file that could be easily located and copied.

I'll try those other programs you recommended.
Many thanks for responding.

Eric12341

normally when u get a virus warning u have to delete ALL temp files,cookies and history and then report the site with the tool within IE

jdigitL

a virus warning?? did i miss something?

you can manually delete your temp folders. what os are you running?

you DO NOT need activesuck for sprite backup to operate. it can be done all on the device.

you DO NOT need to use the crapware that maxtor packaged with their drive. just plug in the drive and browse to it in "my computer." copy or drag your backup files to a directory you create on it for backups

pc-tune up sounds like you wasted $10. either way, ill mention jv16 powertools, primarily for the registry fixing it does. and it also has a temp and privacy cleaner built in. just read the instructions

you can be a pack rat... i am. just be a pack rat on a different drive other than your system drive.

i would disable system restore, and change the way that you back up your personal files. this is up to you, but it provides a little better security and file and general os/disk performance... plus it will free up some gbs

in ms office apps you can just go to file to export things. export your contacts to a contacts.txt file. and export your mail and calendar and all to a file. if you copy those to the external drive like two times a year youll be in good shape.

when youre done all that, do a disk defragment to optimize your system drive.

beyond that, ask and someone will chime in

jd :approve:

FBL

Originally Posted by jdigitL

a virus warning?? did i miss something? you can manually delete your temp folders. what os are you running? you DO NOT need activesuck for sprite backup to operate. it can be done all on the device. you DO NOT need to use the crapware that maxtor packaged with their drive. just plug in the drive and browse to it in "my computer." copy or drag your backup files to a directory you create on it for backups pc-tune up sounds like you wasted $10. either way, ill mention jv16 powertools, primarily for the registry fixing it does. and it also has a temp and privacy cleaner built in. just read the instructions you can be a pack rat... i am. just be a pack rat on a different drive other than your system drive. i would disable system restore, and change the way that you back up your personal files. this is up to you, but it provides a little better security and file and general os/disk performance... plus it will free up some gbs in ms office apps you can just go to file to export things. export your contacts to a contacts.txt file. and export your mail and calendar and all to a file. if you copy those to the external drive like two times a year youll be in good shape. when youre done all that, do a disk defragment to optimize your system drive. beyond that, ask and someone will chime in jd :approve:

How do you find temp files? search for .tmp files? I’m running WinXP.
I paid ~$170 for 256 MB memory 5 years ago to upgrade this Gateway's RAM to 512 MB. The only place you can get it is from Gateway. Prices sure have dropped.

The last time I successfully restored the X50v with Sprite BU was when it was connected to the computer, and I used the desktop program. It took 2 times.
I don't know why some of the BU files on the CF card were currupted some of the PI files couldn't be found.

I disabled Maxtor's manager or BU program because if I moved a block of files to a different partition, it would interrupt me and ask, "xyz.wpd file is not on your hard drive. Do you want me to replace it?" After 2 or 3 prompts, I realized it was going to do it for the hundreds of files moved.
I uninstalled the backup program, maybe leaving the manager program that requires a password.
Can the Maxtor ext HD just be plugged in to a USB HUB & PS and work?
I think it prompted for an install of programs.

PC Tune-Up was a waste of money. I’ll try jv16 power tools. Wow, it has a file cleaner!

I was hoping System Restore would restore the broken parts of the operating system.

I used the .pst file format. Didn't know which was best. And I backed up My Documents folder several times before it quit working.

Many thanks.

kenyth

Your PC sounds to be an older one, and in bad need of extensive maintenance, PLUS a possible virus? I'd get a PC tech to look at it and get it cleaned up. Maybe recommend some cost effective upgrades from Newegg.com. Otherwise, you may be in over your head. Trying to explain the stuff that might need to be done will be like trying to explain how to do an engine repair. There's just too much stuff to be explained simply and briefly.

At this point you may have to reinstall the OS and apps from the ground up in order to get the PC working smoothly again.