02-21-2003, 11:00 PM
|
|
Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
|
|
ActiveSync, Backups, and the 7th Plane of Hell
I wrote this two weeks ago when it happened, but I forgot to post it - I thought it was too rant-worthy to ignore, so I present to you "Reason #94 Why I Dislike ActiveSync":
******
Ok, this totally amazes me. My loathing for ActiveSync just got more passionate. I was toying around with Pocket Hackmaster, overclocking my device, and clocked it a little too far - I had to hard reset the device. 60 seconds prior to changing the clock speed, I had made a backup to SD using the Dell backup utility. After doing the hard reset, I restored from the backup. You'd think that everything would be fine, right? Here's what I effectively did if you want to reproduce this scenario:
1) Synced Pocket PC, everything is the same in Outlook and the device
2) Use Dell Axim backup app to back up to SD
3) Hard reset Pocket PC
4) Restore from backup
5) Sync with desktop PC
6) Watch all hell break loose
I'm sitting here staring at:
1) An empty Pocket PC synchronized document folder (it purged the files from the desktop, yet left them on the Pocket PC).
2) All my contacts stripped of categories - I have 861 contacts with "no
category" assigned to them.
3) The contacts app on the Pocket PC has no categories either.
4) Notes and Tasks seem ok, but the Calendar now has duplicated birthdays. Curiously, my actual appointments seem ok - no duplications.
I wasn't given the option of replacing what's on the Pocket PC, or combining the data - yet what occurred is clearly neither of those.
So the question becomes, how do you restore your Pocket PC from a backup without completely destroying your Outlook data? If I didn't have a PST backup that was only 10 hours old, I'd be absolutely furious. Something similar happened to me when I did a restore from another backup application.
Has this happened to anyone else? How could something like this have gotten past Dell? Anyone brave enough to reproduce? If I can get some data to support this being a common issue, I can pass this along to Dell and the ActiveSync team.
|
| |
|
|
|
02-21-2003, 11:04 PM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 48
|
|
The way I that normally do it (probably not the best way) is to not restore the contacts, calendar, etc. databases, make a backup copy of the ActiveSync profile on my computer, delete the ActiveSync profile, and re-create it.
Once it's re-created, I re-sync everything that I had from Outlook, copy back the files to synchronize, then re-install all applications. It's a PIA, mostly when trying to find my registration information for things like games and other software.
Getting AvantGo up and running again seems to always take at least 3-4 syncs to get all of the stuff setup again.
__________________
PDA/Phone: Palm Treo 750
Collection: HP Jornada 568 and Palm Tungsten C
|
| |
|
|
|
02-21-2003, 11:11 PM
|
|
Philosopher
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 495
|
|
OMG! Let's get this discussion started in earnest for once and for all!
The simple fact that ActiveStink will randomly delete entries from both my Mobile Favorites in IE and Favorites in Pocket IE annoys me to no end. I just keep a whole copy of the folder on the desktop and copy it back and forth over the network since it is such a pain in the butt to try and work with ActiveStink.
Not to mention the absolute terror and horror which awaits those who would be foolish enough to dare try and sync their Outlook at work AND home. What kind of idiot would think of that in the first place.
I mean, it looks all so fool proof, but I guess I'm just a super fool.
Why is it such a complicated thing?
|
| |
|
|
|
02-21-2003, 11:13 PM
|
|
Theorist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 276
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by questionlp
The way I that normally do it (probably not the best way) is to not restore the contacts, calendar, etc. databases, make a backup copy of the ActiveSync profile on my computer, delete the ActiveSync profile, and re-create it.
Once it's re-created, I re-sync everything that I had from Outlook, copy back the files to synchronize, then re-install all applications. It's a PIA, mostly when trying to find my registration information for things like games and other software.
Getting AvantGo up and running again seems to always take at least 3-4 syncs to get all of the stuff setup again.
|
This is the only way that I've found to get every thing back the way it was with the least suprises...
Like you said, more work, but at least I know I can get things back the way they were.
|
| |
|
|
|
02-21-2003, 11:17 PM
|
|
Philosopher
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 578
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by questionlp
The way I that normally do it (probably not the best way) is to not restore the contacts, calendar, etc. databases, make a backup copy of the ActiveSync profile on my computer, delete the ActiveSync profile, and re-create it.
Once it's re-created, I re-sync everything that I had from Outlook, copy back the files to synchronize, then re-install all applications. It's a PIA, mostly when trying to find my registration information for things like games and other software.
|
That's what I do, if I understand what you mean by "the ActiveSync profile."
Here's my procedure:
1. I copy the ActiveSync folders from My Documents to another locationn.
2. Do the hard reset.
3. Set up the Pocket PC again
4. Sync to the PC with ActiveSync.
5. THEN (after that first sync) I copy the contents of the backed up ActiveSync folders back into the new ones that were created during the sync in No. 4 above.
6. Finally, I reinstall all my software.
I have hardly ever had to hard reset my Jornada 568, but I've sent it in several times for a replacement because of dust under the screen. The procedure I described above is the only one I've found to be reliable.
I'm thinking of hard resetting my Jornada now. I've had it since early last fall and the screen has stayed clear. But it's starting to slow down after installing and uninstalling lots of applications I've been trying. That takes its toll on any Windows installation and eventually it's time to start fresh.
|
| |
|
|
|
02-21-2003, 11:22 PM
|
|
Pontificator
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,329
|
|
Jason. Obviously you are under NDAs and all but...During your trip to "THE CAMPUS"
Are the folks at Redmond FULLY aware at how pissed many are with ActiveStink??? (Bet they rued the day they named their sync software ActiveSync.) and are they planning something to fix this problem?
I personally have only had a few problems over the years even thought I consider myself a power user. Yet others have butt loads of problems. Why are there so many varied stories all over the board?
|
| |
|
|
|
02-21-2003, 11:24 PM
|
|
Theorist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 263
|
|
HP Jornada Back Up app works great with a CF, just great, takes some time but not an age and never fails, the PPC comes back to where it was before the hard reset, just used AS once for this, never again!!!
Regards.
|
| |
|
|
|
02-21-2003, 11:31 PM
|
|
Sage
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 633
|
|
Re: ActiveSync, Backups, and the 7th Plane of Hell
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
If I didn't have a PST backup that was only 10 hours old, I'd be absolutely furious.
|
Key phrase, that.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Kaber
Not to mention the absolute terror and horror which awaits those who would be foolish enough to dare try and sync their Outlook at work AND home. What kind of idiot would think of that in the first place.
I mean, it looks all so fool proof, but I guess I'm just a super fool.
Why is it such a complicated thing?
|
I manage it with no problems. That's certainly not to say if there was a problem that it wouldn't be a bloody annoying one, but as long as I take a day or so and sync a fair few times to get the two the same, it's then plain sailing...
This comment DOES NOT absolve AS from it's short comings however. That simple of simplest things - the option to replace rather than combine - can that really be that difficult to do? I mean really, WHY haven't they fixed it? Give me a 'Too difficult' / 'PST Issue' / WHATEVER, but to leave folks annoyed is just plain rude, I think. :lol:
|
| |
|
|
|
02-21-2003, 11:36 PM
|
|
Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 357
|
|
Remember back when a Backup on Pocket PC 2000 (and earlier) meant you could do a restore and get everything back to the way it was when you did the backup?? 
Not so anymore with Pocket PC 2002. Just about every time I do a restore through ActiveSync from a desktop backup file, the Inbox 2002 email messages and accounts gets completely corrupt.
And then if you do a restore from an SD card or CF card, aparently ActiveSync thinks the items on the newly restored PDA are either newer than the ones in Outlook, in which case you'll likely lose the actual newer ones... or it thinks the PDA's items are different than the ones in Outlook, in which case there's plenty of duplicates. It must be that somewhere ActiveSync loses it's understanding of what is what in each profile.
*sigh*
|
| |
|
|
|
02-21-2003, 11:40 PM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 17
|
|
I have done this many time, the proper method is to do the following:
1) Restore the contents of your PPC with CF Backup
2) Delete Existing Partnership in ActiveSync
3) When asked if you want to delete 'Sync Folder on PC' click NO.
4) Connect PPC to USB/Serial and setup the partnership over again.
5) You will be prompted if you want to 'Replace', 'Merge' or Do nothing with your contact information. I always choose to Replace data on PPC device with information on the computer. I know you will loose some information that was entered on the PPC and not transfered, but in my experience this presents the least chaos.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Linear Mode
