New to ActiveSync Please help

[Lessa]

Hi All,
I'm new to the Windows Mobile world and I'm having one *glorious* time with ActiveSync. Can someone point me in the direction of something that tells me how this software (and I use the term loosely) is suppose to look on my laptop? When I sync, I don't get any desktop window. I get an icon in the task bar, but no window what so ever in the screen. I can even tell it to minimize and restore, but get nothing. I found the help and it told me to go to "Tools", but I don't know what tools it is talking about (can't find anything like that on the handheld). I can't even tell what the user name is for the device! Somehow I've gotten rid of the icon in the tray and I can't get it back. There is no control panel device and I can't even see ActiveSync in the Add/Remove software to see what version is on the computer if I wanted to (got this from install disk and upgraded to newest one from MS). I'm so stuck I'm walking around with hysterical laughter.

How can this be better than Palm Hot Sync? What was I thinking?

[Darius Wey]

Can someone point me in the direction of something that tells me how this software (and I use the term loosely) is suppose to look on my laptop?

Here you go:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20051217-ActiveSync.gif

When I sync, I don't get any desktop window. I get an icon in the task bar, but no window what so ever in the screen. I can even tell it to minimize and restore, but get nothing.

This is a question out of left field, but are you using any theme management software? For example, WindowBlinds? It doesn't play nicely with ActiveSync sometimes.

I found the help and it told me to go to "Tools", but I don't know what tools it is talking about (can't find anything like that on the handheld).

That would probably be on the PC version of ActiveSync, not the Pocket PC.

Somehow I've gotten rid of the icon in the tray and I can't get it back. There is no control panel device and I can't even see ActiveSync in the Add/Remove software to see what version is on the computer if I wanted to (got this from install disk and upgraded to newest one from MS). I'm so stuck I'm walking around with hysterical laughter.

You might want to try starting over. Uninstall ActiveSync and reinstall it.

[Janak Parekh]

You might want to try starting over. Uninstall ActiveSync and reinstall it.
Well, it sounds like the original poster would have a tough time of uninstalling it. As a minimum, try installing an updated version of ActiveSync over the version you have... err... I'm not sure how to determine which version you have if you can't open the window; which Pocket PC are you using?

In any case, AS 3.8 and 4.1 are both available from www.pocketpc.com - 3.8 is recommended for 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2003SE devices, while 4.1 is required for WM5 devices.

How can this be better than Palm Hot Sync? What was I thinking?
Well, for what it's worth, what you're going through is rather rare. I know that doesn't help, but this is not one of the typical AS complaints we hear about.

--janak

[Sven Johannsen]

Do you have a Microsoft ActiveSync link in your Start> Programs menu? What happens if you select it? Do you get an ActiveSync item in your task bar? (bottom of screen), if you do ge the AS icon, round thing with two arrows, in the system tray (bottom right), can you right click it and select Open Microsoft ActiveSync? Does it show up in the task bar?

If an entry does show up in the task bar, can you right click it and select things like Restore and Minimize, it just doesn't seem to do anything? Iff so can you slect Move and use the arrow keys to see if the windo shows up. Almost sounds like the window might be off screen, if it is running and you are syncing, or appear to be.

P.S. you might try moving a window you can see with the cursors for practise. With a windo open hit Alt-Spacebar, Alt-M to put yourself into arrow move capability.

[Darius Wey]

You might want to try starting over. Uninstall ActiveSync and reinstall it.
Well, it sounds like the original poster would have a tough time of uninstalling it.

Dargh, missed that. :bangin:

[Lessa]

So the winner is removing Window Blinds! I was checking out the different skins and didn't realize that this was an issue. After I got rid of them and restarted I was able to see Active Sync in the SW Add/Remove so I uninstalled and then started over reinstalling and it worked! Yahoo! Thanks for the support and help!