Sync no longer working: Please tell what I haven't tried

Jonathan7007 · 07-18-08, 03:25 PM

My X51v synched fine in its cradle and through a direct cable until two days ago. I can't remember any big changes that happened at the time of this change of behavior. I use AS4.2 because 4.5 didn't work at all when it came out, so I stuck with 4.2. WinXP TabletOS, all updates except SP3. I searched the forum(s) and tutorials (thanks, Ike) and didn't see anything new. I have had this device direct from Dell right before they gave up on the line.

Tried soft resets - in and out of the cradle. Placing the unit in the cradle or on the direct USB-to-Axim cable sounds three super-fast "boops"; if AS not already running it will not start automatically, as it has been set to do. If running, the AS interface still displays "Not Connected". Tried forcing connection through the menus in AS. Nada.

Back a few days when the Axim was connecting/syncing, I tried to fix internet surfing on the Axim, so took all security off my LinkSys router and spent time playing with the Axim's connection settings. Got connection to the router (hooray!) but because I was never successful at getting an Internet page to come up went back to router security -- now upping the ante from WEP to WPA security on my router. WEP alone seemed to kill recognition of any wireless. I figured I'd go back to fixing that when I had a spare week or so <grin>.

But that can't be related to the sync problem, right? I have re-examined the menus and settings on the Axim to make sure there were no inadvertent changes.

However, USB connection is still allowed in Settings. Odyssey was on but has been quit since.

History:
To establish connection I have had to quit ZoneAlarm for the past several months. Even after a successful sync I would discover an error message saying the Axim had not received a valid IP address. I have re-added all the ActiveSync exe's to the Program Management tab in ZoneAlarm but it doesn't help. The Help info is vague about which exe's MUST be added and given open permissions because it doesn't tell you what the name will be when it joins the listings. (I checked the File Properties info on each to see what the cryptic file name was called by Microsoft...)

Any other settings important in ZoneAlarm? I believe I use the same settings found when the Axim was syncing.

I tend to be very loyal to any of my good devices but it's hard to stick with a device that requires this much time and investigation to fix quirky behavior. Thank you to all of you who help in these forums.

Jonathan

Julie · 07-18-08, 08:24 PM

Have you tried deleting the existing ActiveSync partnership and setting it back up again?

Jonathan7007 · 07-20-08, 05:41 PM

Julie, what a good idea. I will call the lawyers and get the partnership whacked. <grin>

BTW, is there a good reason to switch to AS4.5? Actually, in a few weeks my new tablet will arrive with Vista and so the AS issue goes away...

Jonathan

Julie · 07-20-08, 07:04 PM

What OS is running on your device?

Truthfully, WMDC (which is what you'll use on your Vista computer) seems to be more difficult than ActiveSync. Have you read through any of those threads?

07-21-08, 11:58 AM

I have an x51v, and use Win XP. I recently had to update to ActiveSync 4.5 -- have no idea why, but 4.2 stopped working.

I had some minor issues with the first two syncs, but everything seems to be fine now. It was mysterious - perhaps due to some auto update of Windows XP? - but okay now! If deleting the partnership doesn't work with 4.2 -- why not back up your data and then give 4.5 a try?

rlarson_mn · 07-22-08, 07:23 PM

As a last resort you may need to do a hard reset and a fresh reinstall of AS 4.5 (which is the latest version and recommended for use over AS 4.3)

stevenator65 · 07-22-08, 10:51 PM

I have the same problem. So I don't think it's your device. I feel I must've loaded some problematic pocket pc software to my desktop computer, so AS stopped working. I just got a new pocket pc and have the same problem. I have done everything from uninstalling and reinstalling AS to doing a hard reset - all to no avail. I'm going to reformat my desktop b/c I can't figure out what else to do.

IMBSquared · 07-23-08, 12:32 AM

Funny thing. I have the same Axim and mine started having problems at about the same time. I noticed I had trouble connecting to WiFi at home, first, and then when I came back from work the next day and put it in its cradle, it wouldn't sync at all. All the same symptoms, except that I'm running AS 4.5 with no problems until now. The only thing I noticed is that when I tried syncing through IrDA (I have an adapter) it worked fine. I have a feeling there's something wrong with one of its networking drivers.

Let us know if you get this thing resolved (hopefully without a hard reset)

Pischk · 08-06-08, 05:22 PM

Okay ... just to add something new to the mix. I'm an IT Support person and the President of our company has an Axim X51v and does not desire to change.

Sometime last year, it stopped performing cradle syncs, although it still charges via the cradle (back then, I tried multiple cradles). Today, I was working on something else when, for some reason, I thought I'd re-visit the issue. So I removed Active Sync and installed 3.8 ... then 4.2 ... then 4.5. At each stage, I would perform a reboot to the XP desktop and soft reset the Axim. Nothing happened ... still no sync.

At the same time, I was also troubleshooting the battery latch problem (what a major pain in the you know where). Anyway, I had removed the battery and put it back in ... and ... all of a sudden, it correctly performed a cradle sync. However, if I pull it out of the cradle and place it back in, it will NOT sync.

The only way to get it a successful sync is to perform another battery reset, which is only good for a single sync.

Any ideas?

Chrissard · 08-06-08, 07:17 PM

I also have to pull my battery to get my x51v to sync. I fell that windows must have changed something in XP and Vista to cause this problem.

Jonathan7007 · 08-08-08, 03:46 AM

I put up the OP. What fixed this for me was unchecking a box labeled [something close to] "Allow advanced USB connections" - I beelieve in the Dell WLAN connections software. That did it. Man, I tried everything except hard reset and going to AS4.5

I had no luck with 4.5 back many months ago and 4.2 worked. Julie, I HAD heard lots of bad things about the sync in Vista, so I am not looking forward to that. Worse, I lost my Axim since that OP and am buying another as soon as I can on eBay or from another AximSite member. I think it fell out of my truck. Sad. So now I start all over again.

Thanks to everyone who contributed.

Jonathan

Julie · 08-08-08, 08:44 AM

So sorry to hear you lost your Axim! Hopefully you won't have problems sync to Vista with your new device....seems like it's hit or miss much of the time....some folks have no problems syncing to Vista while others ....well, you know how it goes.

I cannot use the RNDIS connection setting to sync my pocket pcs reliably either and so I've had to change that flag to USB on all my pocket pcs - this could also be an issue for you under Vista.

Jonathan7007 · 08-11-08, 08:26 PM

What is RNDIS? A VISTA term? AXIM-specific?

Jonathan

Julie · 08-11-08, 10:17 PM

RNDIS was added to pocket pcs with WM5.0. It stands for Remote Network Drive Interface Specification. Here's some reading for you:

Remote NDIS (RNDIS) and Windows

Fundamental ActiveSync networking differences between WM5 and previous WM versions

vincechenzo · 09-08-08, 08:37 PM

H all, I had a error note that popped up to say that I did not have enough free program space. Could this be part of the problem we are facing?