sync problems--at wit's end--please help!

[chrissjill]

I have a Zire 71, v4.0 (less than a month old) with a Mac OS 9.2.

I have been unable to Hotsync for more than a week now. The last time I went to Hotsync, there was no response from my mac, just the message "The connection between your handheld computer and the desktop could not be established. Please check your setup and try again." I have tried the following:

Resetting the Zire
Restarting my computer
Uninstall/reinstall of Palm software
Getting a newer version of Stuffit expander
Checking settings (it is set to connect via cradle/cable; I am using USB port)
Trying both USB ports

I have also tried many other more esoteric things that were suggested on the Palm website, by the Palm technician I communicated with by email (twice), by the Palm technicians I spoke to by phone (twice), and that I found in your forum in the descriptions of similar problems that others had. Nothing is working!

Feel free to make suggestions. I also noted something interesting on this guy's response in your forum:
http://discussion.brighthand.com/pal...threadid=48142
I installed software for my Palm keyboard on the Palm right before it stopped talking to me. Could this be it?

[Shawn Parr]

Hello chrissjill, welcome to Brighthand! I hope you enjoy our community here.

It is most likely the keyboard drivers.

1. Soft Reset the Palm

2. Disable the keyboard drivers

3. Hotsync.

If that doesn't work try zapping PRAM and rebuilding your desktop, and double check your settings in Hotsync Manager (i.e. Hotsync Enabled).

Let us know what happens.

[chrissjill]

Could you tell me how to disable the drivers?

I already have zapped PRAM, rebuilt the desktop, and checked the Palm settings, but if you think I should do them again, let me know.

A friend came over yesterday and moved some things around trying to fix this, and now my computer won't connect to the internet at all (won't even attempt) and is VERY SLOW. I wouldn't burden you with it, except that I wonder if the problems are related. The Palm seems to think that I have/am using an internal USB modem (that is the other option I have for connecting, aside from the USB and Palm Connect options), which I'm not, and I wonder if the computer suddenly wants to use that phantom setting, too (I usually use a dialup connection to get onto the internet).

Very mysterious.

[Shawn Parr]

The keyboard drivers are disabled in the Palm somewhere. Is there a keyboard application that is installed with it that may have an enable/disable option?

Make sure that in Hotsync Manager, under connection settings that the modem is not selected.

Hopefully that will correct some of the issues you have on your mac.

[chrissjill]

Well, I'm hotsyncing again. Took it to a Palm dealer who confirmed your diagnosis. Even though I "deleted" the Keyboard app from my Palm, it didn't delete everything. The maker of the keyboard software (Palm keyboard but 3rd party software) has an uninstall download on their site; unfortunately since I couldn't sync, I couldn't load the uninstall and take off the keyboard stuff from the Palm as is, so we had to do a hard reset, then uninstall, then reinstall, blah, blah, blah. Now things are fine, except...

I have a new problem. The Palm desktop won't open! When I click on it, it says "unexpected error #-50". Any ideas?

[chrissjill]

Okay, never mind. I found the answer in your archived posts.

Thanks so much for all your help!