Dell Axim X51v + Sygate Firewall = No ActiveSync. Please help!

[PocketGoddess]

Just got a Dell Axim X51v. Great little device, except for one problem. It absolutely refuses to sync unless I completely disable my firewall--it just hangs on "retrieving settings."

I'm running Windows XP Pro and Sygate Personal Firewall, and I've already followed the instructions on Microsoft's web site about tweaking the settings in Sygate to allow ActiveSync to work.

Anyone else have any ideas?

[Darius Wey]

Welcome to Pocket PC Thoughts.

I'm running Windows XP Pro and Sygate Personal Firewall, and I've already followed the instructions on Microsoft's web site about tweaking the settings in Sygate to allow ActiveSync to work.

Hmm, you've followed every instruction already, as per here (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/help/activesync/sygate.mspx) and here? (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/help/activesync/default.mspx)

Are you running the latest version of ActiveSync (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/downloads/activesync41.mspx) - that is, v4.1? If not, you should uninstall your current one, then install the new one and see if it solves your problem. Also, try deleting any existing partnerships and recreating them.

[PocketGoddess]

Yes, I have. And I never even installed ActiveSync 4.0 from the Dell disk, since I knew that 4.1 was already out.

I also played around with deleting partnerships and creating a new one, but I got that same hang on "retrieving settings." But then I tried it after disconnecting my laptop from the network, disabling Sygate, and it worked like a charm.

I'm very pleased with Sygate and really don't want to switch. I might have to though because I don't want to go through all the hassle each time I want to sync, and because I need an Internet passthrough connection to get weather updates, use an offline RSS feeder, etc.

What firewall do you use?

Do you have any other suggestions? I must admit to being something of a firewall novice, in that I have the system pretty well locked down and don't know a lot about ports and such. It could be that there's just some little something missing from Microsoft's instructions that I don't realize because I don't know much about firewall apps. As far as I can tell, I've unblocked ActiveSync and the four apps it relies on--wces, rapimgr, etc.

[Darius Wey]

What firewall do you use?

I use Norton Internet Security. I'd normally use ZoneAlarm, but NIS came with my laptop and it works fine.

Do you have any other suggestions? I must admit to being something of a firewall novice, in that I have the system pretty well locked down and don't know a lot about ports and such. It could be that there's just some little something missing from Microsoft's instructions that I don't realize because I don't know much about firewall apps. As far as I can tell, I've unblocked ActiveSync and the four apps it relies on--wces, rapimgr, etc.

Well, let's start from scratch. You've already followed Microsoft's instructions in the configuration of Sygate. So, let's first look at your network connection between the Pocket PC and PC. On your desktop, select Start > Control Panel > Network & Internet Connections > Network Connections. Look for the "Local Area Connection" entry for the "Windows Mobile-based Device". Double-click on the entry, select the Support tab, and list here the connection status. The main point here is to see if your device has been assigned a valid (and working) IP address.

[PocketGoddess]

OK, I checked that out and everything looks fine. The Support tab tells me that everything is assigned by DHCP, that the IP address is 169.254.2.2 and the subnet mask is 255.255.255.0

Next?

PS I really appreciate your help with this!

[Darius Wey]

Next?

Okay, now I'm a little unfamiliar with the Sygate interface, so you'll have to bear with me while I try to make sense of the images on this page. (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/help/activesync/sygate.mspx) I'm going to ask you to go through those steps again, but in Step 5 where it says to leave the Hosts tab unchanged, try selecting the "IP Address(es)" option and entering 169.254.2.2, then continue on with the rest of the steps and save the changes.

Any luck?