ROM upgrade and full backups

I have arranged with Dell for a replacement Axim x50v because of the alignment fault. They tell me that although I will be able to create a full backup of my RAM/ROM on my A03 device, the replacement is likely to be a A04/A06, which will REJECT restoration from those backups.

How do I ensure all my current data is backed up and can be restored to the new device? Is there a FAQ/sticky thread somewhere on Aximsite that'll show me how to do this? Will syncing to Outlook back up my calendar AND tasks? Will I lose my WM preferences and POP3 email account settings? How do I get Outlook to sync FROM the device TO my PC (I ask because I know someone who performed a sync, which, instead of transferring all emails from the PPC to his new PC, did the opposite and wiped all emails from his PPC!)?

[Gigi]

Syncing to Outlook should backup all your PIM info, including contacts, email, tasks, notes, etc. Have you synced before? If not, the first time should transfer everything to your desktop without any problems. People only run into problems when there have been changes to both PC and PPC, and ActiveSync needs to decide which "version' is the one you want. You can configure this by going to Tools - Options - Rules tab.

If you want to restore anything else across ROMs, you might want to consider Sprite Backup, which is supposed to do this. (I personally have never used Sprite across ROMs though.) However, be aware that it's always better to start clean with any ROM upgrade.

However, be aware that it's always better to start clean with any ROM upgrade.

Hmm, thanks for this.
Perhaps this could be my big opportunity to start from scratch - not that I need to, of course, but for the sake of doing it and planning it all out so I can decide what program can go where without using up my RAM!
Fingers-crossed I don't run into any problems, as I remember AvantGo being a bitch to install properly.

[Gigi]

If you already have Sprite, you could always try it to see if the restore process is any good. If not, I would just start from scratch. Just make sure you have everything synced to Outlook first. If you want to be really sure, you can also do a backup of your PC Outlook before you resync (after your ROM upgrade).