Virtual PC and ActiveSync (for a Windows phone): anyone get it to work?

[Argelius]

I am currently using Virtual PC 7.0, running Windows 2000, and am trying to get ActiveSync to recognize my USB-connected Windows Mobile 5.0 phone (Sprint PPC-6700).

ActiveSync installs okay, but it fails to detect the phone when it's connected via USB.

When I click on the USB icon at the bottom of the VirtualPC window, the Mobile Phone is listed as being connected. Also, when I look in My Computer (within Windows), a mobile phone device is present). However, ActiveSync cannot seem to "see" that the phone is connected.

Any thoughts?

(I am aware that both Mark/Space Missing Sync and PocketMac are working on Windows Mobile 5.0 versions of their products; however, at this time, only Windows Mobile 2.0 devices are supported).

Thanks!

[mkrishnan]

Originally Posted by Argelius

(I am aware that both Mark/Space Missing Sync and PocketMac are working on Windows Mobile 5.0 versions of their products; however, at this time, only Windows Mobile 2.0 devices are supported).

The Mark/Space one is apparently now finally in a preview Alpha (after...what...eight months? ). Which means that the light is ... SLOWLY ... coming to bear. Apparently, their idea is that you should buy the current version and then download the Alpha, if you want it. Which, I guess, would be okay, if you believe that they will actually finish this product, since the upgrade has been promised as free....

What version of ActiveSync are you using? I know that with the Axim x51v I have, there are some issues that were addressed in an ActiveSync upgrade that resulted in similar issues with that device... Here is a thread from an Axim forum to which I go...some of these issues (the networking setup issue, and also the firewall issue) may apply to you, also:

http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showt...vesync+version

And finally, you might want to *download* the latest ActiveSync. I'm pretty sure that with my Axim, on Win2k (I don't have it syncing with my Macs yet -- right now I just bluetooth file transfer with them), I was able to get it working with the ActiveSync on the disc, but a lot of people recommend downloading 4.1.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/r...DisplayLang=en

[Argelius]

Thanks for your thoughts!

I am currently an alpha-tester for MissingSync. Unfortunately, I (and it would seem about almost everyone else) can't get it to work at all. (It only supports Bluetooth syncing at this times), so I've about given up on that until they come out with a new alpha or beta or something.

I did download (from MS) the latest ActiveSync (4.1).

I am such a gadget addict, I bought this phone (used on ebay) cuz I needed a new gadget fix so bad. (Was growing tired of my Treo 650). At this point, I am thinking about bypassing the Mac altogether and syncing my Treo to a WindowsPC (to offload it's data), then using ActiveSync and my new phone. Unfortunately, it will be awfully difficult to keep everything up to date on two platforms. But maybe it will keep me going for a few months while I anxiously await a real solution...

[mkrishnan]

Awww, I very much understand. I jumped in on my Axim because I burned with lust for a VGA PDA.... And my PDA has no personal data on it -- no calendar entries, no phone numbers, ... because it has never talked to iSync. And so all of that stuff is only on my phone. But then, the main reason I actually bought it was to use it for reading pdf journal articles and powerpoint files and checking e-mail and surfing the web, while I was wandering around the hospital. And to be honest, it does do that very nicely.

But I would be *pissed* if I didn't have my contacts in my phone. There's no way I'm re-adding 400+ people by hand. When I got my Nokia, it took ten minutes to get my contacts on there. And when I get my RAZR on Monday, it had better be the same. I guess my Axim can wait....

But as far as the Mark/Space alpha program... so are you saying that the software is of poor quality or extremely buggy or something right now? I understand limitations with an alpha, but if no one is getting it to do *anything* for them, it doesn't even really meet the criteria of an alpha release.

Does the TREO support bluetooth syncing?

[Argelius]

Originally Posted by mkrishnan

But as far as the Mark/Space alpha program... so are you saying that the software is of poor quality or extremely buggy or something right now? I understand limitations with an alpha, but if no one is getting it to do *anything* for them, it doesn't even really meet the criteria of an alpha release.

Does the TREO support bluetooth syncing?

I had been using MissingSync with my Treo and it worked perfectly! Via cable and Bluetooth (although the syncing with the BT is so slow that I only use it when I don't have the cable handy).

As far as the WM 5.0 Missing Sync alpha goes, I am basing my "nobody can get it to work) solely on the email list server they operate for their alpha release. Wish they were using online forums (like this!). Based on every email I've received from that list, I haven't really heard anyone who says it working okay (with the inevitable alpha bugs). Sounds like everyone is having probs....

Sigh...

[mkrishnan]

Random by-the-way (I should stop threadjacking) but I did see the stuff on the listserv...you can see archives of Mark/Space's listservs on their website.

[matticus008]

The problem is with Virtual PC communicating with the host hardware--it's hit or miss whether or not you can get data to pass along the connection and there's almost nothing you can do if you're not blessed by the gods. Microsoft officially supports the VPC/ActiveSync/Mac combination, and it can usually detect that a Windows Mobile device is connected, but it's known to have a low success rate at doing anything resembling a sync.

Drives me crazy too! I have a Windows Mobile 5.0 device and I have to reboot my MythTV box into Windows when I want to get anything done. A Mac version of ActiveSync would really, truly be appreciated!

[Argelius]

Originally Posted by matticus008

Drives me crazy too! I have a Windows Mobile 5.0 device and I have to reboot my MythTV box into Windows when I want to get anything done. A Mac version of ActiveSync would really, truly be appreciated!

I just gave up and:
[1] Installed the Palm Desktop/sync software on my (largely unused) PC
[2] Transferred all my Treo addresses and contacts to Outlook
[3] Installed Active Sync 4.1
[4] Syncing it with Outlook as I speak.

I wondering though, if this too isn't going to work, since it's been syncing for about 5 minutes now. The Sync "wheel" is spinning (indicating it's not frozen) on both the PC and the phone. Perhaps I'll go have a margarita and come back in an hour...

I can only fantasize and self-pleasure myself in imagining what an Apple PDA-Phone would be like. I am sure it would be a glorious experience....

[matticus008]

Originally Posted by Argelius

I just gave up and:
[1] Installed the Palm Desktop/sync software on my (largely unused) PC
[2] Transferred all my Treo addresses and contacts to Outlook
[3] Installed Active Sync 4.1
[4] Syncing it with Outlook as I speak.

I wondering though, if this too isn't going to work, since it's been syncing for about 5 minutes now. The Sync "wheel" is spinning (indicating it's not frozen) on both the PC and the phone. Perhaps I'll go have a margarita and come back in an hour...

I can only fantasize and self-pleasure myself in imagining what an Apple PDA-Phone would be like. I am sure it would be a glorious experience....

On every PocketPC/smartphone I've owned, syncing has always been a nightmare on epic scales--virtual serial port messes, refusal of ActiveSync to believe that it's plugged in, ActiveSync telling me it's synced when it actually sent the data into some other dimension, and long pauses of inactivity for no apparent reason. I'm really forced to wonder what's so hard about copying data.

You'd think that there would be some way to export all the sync data to an xml file, manually copy it to the device, and import it as a failsafe for this lunacy. Straight up USB mass storage drivers would also be a godsend.

[mkrishnan]

Originally Posted by Argelius

I can only fantasize and self-pleasure myself in imagining what an Apple PDA-Phone would be like. I am sure it would be a glorious experience....

Well, hopefully, that and several margaritas should be help dull the pain a little.

[smc12]

I was SO glad to find this thread (though sorry to hear about your headaches). I just bought a Dell Axim x51v and have exactly the same problem Argelius describes, using VPC 6.0 and Windows 2000 Professional. My PowerBook running Windows sees the Axim, but ActiveSync won't connect to it.

Before the Axim I had a long affair with an iPAQ 3635 running Windows CE. I was able to sync the iPAQ using VPC 6.0 running Windows98, but always got stuck at the same point if I ran Windows 2000. My suspicion is that some unwanted/unrequested security "upgrade" built into W2K conflicts with ActiveSync's communication. (Though I've tried logging in as Administrator and re-installing the whole package without any luck).

I wondered if any of you folks have tried VPC running Windows XP. Windows98 was serving my needs just fine, but unfortunately ActiveSync 4.1 doesn't support that old an OS.

Any insights would be greatly appreciated.