Question: Sync deleted contacts/calendar & fails after that

Teacy · 08-08-2008, 12:18 PM

Syncing has just deleted all contacts and calendar info from my nearly three-month-old O2 XDA Stellar. It was was running fine (after two earlier hard resets and lots of retweaking--both resets b/c I couldn't access anything messaging-related; problems started after syncs with my Sony Vaio running Vista, but not every sync caused problems. Messaging is one of the few things that works now.)

After the last hard reset four days ago, the phone claimed not to have some programmes though most had been on the storage card (removed for the hard reset), so I reloaded just about everything, and during that sync with my phone, the phone was wiped free of all contacts/calendar and then it spent an age automatically reloading them, so the whole sync took hours of fiddling. But then all was well.

With some trepidation I connected the PC to the phone this morning just quickly to download a CoPilot map & trip plan, and initially unticked in Windows Mobile Device Centre the syncing options with calendar/contacts so it wouldn't touch them to be safe, but got a prompt that it would then remove them from my phone, so cancelled my change. Nevertheless, next thing I know, my phone has no calendar appointments and no contacts at all.

I believe at one stage I saw a message 'Change made on server that requires you to resync your device.' My settings are to sync with the Windows PC, not the exchange server. What does this error mean?

Every time it syncs now, it fails quickly, I have rebooted PC lots (sometimes the sync error said to), soft reset the phone. During the many syncs, I also had error messages from eWallet, a programme that separately syncs its data with the phone, saying the mobile eWallet programme was no longer on the phone, and true I couldn't then see it, but when I reloaded it, it said it would have to replace the existing one. And its data folder is gone so it doesn't seem to have synced properly anyway. I also had to reload mobipocket reader and all my ebooks, which were fine before the PC and phone were connected this morning.

I've actually now missed a wedding--the whole reason for foolishly embarking on a brief sync (with coPilot, which I'm sure isn't the problem as I've barely used it, and even that isn't working on the phone now; it won't open).

Has anyone any suggestion for fixing a rogue sync that is so destructive? I absolutely despair!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Sorry for the length of this; must be the stress.) I'd be so grateful for any help. What use is the smartphone otherwise?! Thank you.

windows · 08-08-2008, 07:43 PM

About to dash out to quick answer. Is the deleted data in the Outlook trash can on the PC, if so simply copy it out of there back where it was originally?

Teacy · 08-08-2008, 08:55 PM

No, Outlook on the PC was in tact (after an initial scare when it wouldn't open) but the first sync wiped its contents from the phone & subsequent syncs would not transfer it back.

After a few tries later of unticking the box for syncing 'contacts' and 'calendar', and then re-ticking them, it finally restored that info on the phone.

But syncing is still scarily destructive. Many of my programmes on the phone now won't open when they were fine before the sync, many of them don't sync with the PC (eg Rough Guide London), and I have to keep reloading my programmes after I sync, sometimes getting new registration keys to make them work.

Do you know why simply connecting my phone to the PC would make this keep happening? It's horrible.

Thank you for your response.

windows · 09-08-2008, 08:45 AM

Hmm never ever seen anyhing like this at all. If it was me I'd go through the route of a hard reset, remove and reinstall AS / WMDC and start adding applications carefully until you find out which is causing the problem, as this is not normal at all.

Teacy · 09-08-2008, 10:57 PM

Thanks for replying. I uninstalled WMDC, which I've not done before, and did another hard reset (again removing the storage card first, but first getting rid of any program stuff on that, just leaving photos and documents).

Trouble is WMDC won't now install. When I put in the original o2 Getting Started disk, it starts as it should and acts like it's installing WMDC, the green line moving along and showing a quickly increasing percentage, and then says installation's complete. But there's no icon on the desktop as before, nor is it in the Programmes folder, and I've done it a zillion times with no change, have rebooted and tried again etc. Even tried installing ActiveSync from the same disk but of course I run Vista so that wouldn't load. So now I can't put anything on my phone. I had no problems the first time round. Any suggestions? I wish I knew more about what was going on. Thanks.

Teacy · 10-08-2008, 12:01 AM

Brief update to save someone replying to my last message: went into C:/Windows/Windows Mobile and found a set up exe file that did launch WMDC and seemed to install it as before. Set my previous sync options but there was no sync progress (no green in the bar showing at all) for yonks, then it finished with an error that there was a problem with ActiveSync on the desktop. I've even changed it to request only that contacts and calendar sync, and I get that same error almost immediately. Sigh. Am now missing my pay-as-you-go Sony Ericsson....Will try to reboot to see if that helps in any way.

debonairone · 10-08-2008, 02:49 AM

hmmm.... which version of the WMDC is on that disk? 6 or 6.1? If the former is on it, then you may wish to uninstall it and install 6.1 from Windows Mobile Device Center for Windows Vista | Smartphone and PDA

ahs785 · 08-09-2008, 01:48 AM

hi guys .. i would need to ask about the sync too .. why there is no configuration like in the Nokia suite that let u make .. "pc overrides device or device overrides pc ".. why does the active sync balances the two (pc and device ) with the same data .. thanks in advance

neilm · 08-09-2008, 07:40 AM

I don't know! Activesync on the PC has always had just the options to fully sync, merge entries, or copy PC content to the PPC.

WMDC on Vista adds the option to copy PPC content to the PC, but the process is far from infallible

ahs785 · 08-09-2008, 09:03 PM

yea its totally confusing and not clear .. today i had the same problem with a public computer i wanted sync to have some contacts from that pc and it ended up i took all his contacts (which i don’t mind) and he had all mine too on his pc and that i do mind a loooot . i never had such problems with the Nokia pc suite in such matter..