New Computer, Haven't Sync'd Yet, Worried About Duplicates

[Mark Johnson]

Hey guys, anyone got a minute and want to review for me that steps I should go through to make sure I don't "double up" on my contacts when I get a new computer?

If my PPC was partnered to my old Dell and had 1,000 contacts properly syncronized, if I buy a new computer what's going to happen? Assume I copied my old outlook.pst file from the old computer to the new one and the Outlook imported it properly.

So I'm looking at Outlook and see the same 1,000 contacts as I see on the PPC, but as soon as I install ActiveSync, how do I make sure I don't get them "duped" in both locations?

I already backed up my .pst on the desktop (obviously) but my Axim x50v doesn't have a backup utility to make sure I can "step back" if something goes wrong.

I even considered doing a factory reset on the x50v, but I have some info on the PPC I do want to keep. It's been quite awhile since I've installed activesync and (as strange as this might sound) I can't remember having to "re-partner" a PPC to a host computer. I think in the past I've gotten new PPC's so frequently they were always "factory fresh" the first time they sync'd so there was no duplication risk.

[martin_ayton]

I'm not an Axim x50v user, so treat what follows with caution...

However, that said, I do have an O2 Xda2s running WM2003SE, and if you haven't applied the WM2005 ROM update to your x50v, your experience should be somewhat similar to mine.

I have found through numerous resyncs, that Activesync 3.8 does a reasonable, though not always complete, job of comparing lists and removing duplicates. it does get a bit scary during the initial sync process when everything will be duplicated, but if you sit on your hands at that point the pruning process starts and most of the duplicates will be removed.

If it doesn't work properly, or there are still too many duplicates to remove manually when AS has done its stuff, then I can recommend SKTools ($10 for the full version) which has a pretty good set of PIM cleanup tools.

[Darius Wey]

Your X50v should have a backup utility by the name of Data Backup. It does the job, but if you're after something a little more solid, check out Spb Backup: http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/backup/?en

On the topic of avoiding contact duplication, there is no real fool-proof method. What I usually do is delete the ActiveSync partnership on the Pocket PC and PC, create a new ActiveSync partnership on the new PC (assuming you copy over the PST file), stick the Pocket PC in the cradle, then let it sync for the first time. In most cases, you will be prompted with a message to overwrite the files on your Pocket PC, overwrite the files on your PC, or to allow duplicates. I usually select the option to overwrite the files on the Pocket PC, and I've never had a problem with duplicate contacts. Hopefully, that will work for you.

[Mark Johnson]

What I usually do is delete the ActiveSync partnership on the Pocket PC and PC...


Since the PPC used to be partnered with "Dell_4500" and is now "meeting for the first time" the new "Dell_8400" I won't need to delete the partnership on the desktop, but are you saying I still need to find some setting inside the PPC and delete it's partnership with "Dell_4500" before I proceed?


...you will be prompted with a message to overwrite the files on your Pocket PC, overwrite the files on your PC, or to allow duplicates.


One challege I have here is that some of the desktop contacts are more current, and some of the PPC contacts are more current. There have been changes in both locations since they were last sync'd. Am I toast?

[Darius Wey]

Since the PPC used to be partnered with "Dell_4500" and is now "meeting for the first time" the new "Dell_8400" I won't need to delete the partnership on the desktop, but are you saying I still need to find some setting inside the PPC and delete it's partnership with "Dell_4500" before I proceed?

Nope, in that case, you shouldn't need to.

One challege I have here is that some of the desktop contacts are more current, and some of the PPC contacts are more current. There have been changes in both locations since they were last sync'd. Am I toast?

Hmm, that's a difficult scenario. I'd love to say ActiveSync could manage that without a hitch, but it's so unpredictable these days. If you're worried about losing new changes on either of the two, let it synchronise both ways (i.e. without overwriting), then if you find a whole collection of duplicate contacts after the initial sync, use an Outlook duplicates remover such as this one: http://www.slipstick.com/files/ODR5.EXE

[Nurhisham Hussein]

...but are you saying I still need to find some setting inside the PPC and delete it's partnership with "Dell_4500" before I proceed?

While I'm not sure about WM5, under WM2003SE, all you need to do is delete the registry entries under HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows CE Services\Partners\{P1 and/or P2 depending on how many partnerships you have}. The PCur dword value might also need to be changed.


One challege I have here is that some of the desktop contacts are more current, and some of the PPC contacts are more current. There have been changes in both locations since they were last sync'd. Am I toast?

My preferred method is to allow a merge (duplicates galore) and then run a dedup app on Outlook, like this one (http://www.slipstick.com/files/ODR5.EXE). Sorry for the direct link, but ODR is very hard to find online now, but it works well and is freeware to boot. It's very effective, though it might take some time (it uses a brute force comparison method). The next sync will see all the duplicates on your PDA gone as well.

Edit: Darius beat me to it :lol:

[Darius Wey]

While I'm not sure about WM5, under WM2003SE, all you need to do is delete the registry entries under HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows CE Services\Partners\{P1 and/or P2 depending on how many partnerships you have}. The PCur dword value might also need to be changed.

Deleting partnerships in Windows Mobile 5.0 is relatively easy, though well-hidden. If you tap Start > Programs > ActiveSync, then select Menu > Options, you'll be taken to a screen detailing the data to sync with the host PC. If you tap and hold on the host PC icon (usually labelled, "Windows PC"), then select Delete, it should delete the active partnership.