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Setup Guide - CompanionLink with Pocket PC/Windows Mobile (direct sync)

For more information about specific issues regarding the direct sync, please see the Pocket PC/Windows Mobile Sync Direct section.

• Windows Vista
• Other versions of Windows
  1. General
     1. How do I configure CompanionLink to sync direct with my Pocket PC/Windows Mobile handheld?
     2. How do I sync the handheld?
     3. Can I sync wirelessly?
     4. How do I sync my data one way from my contact manager to my handheld?
     5. How do I sync my data one way from my handheld to my contact manager?
     6. Pocket PC/Windows Mobile specific tabs
  2. What are the limitations of the direct sync?
     1. How do I sync with multiple databases?
     2. How do I keep my personal data from synching?
     3. I want to synchronize my handheld direct to Outlook.
  3. What is ActiveSync?
     1. What settings do I need in ActiveSync?
     2. My handheld won't connect to ActiveSync.
  4. Errors
     1. There's no boxes for me to check in ActiveSync.
     2. I'm getting an error, 'ActiveSync can only synchronize your data to a single destination'.
     3. I'm getting an error, 'Attention required'.
     4. I'm getting an error, 'CAB file not found'.
     5. I'm getting an error, 'CompanionLink MFC application error'.
     6. I'm getting an error, 'Items not synchronized'.
     7. I'm getting an error, 'See/sync status on device'.
     8. I'm getting an error, 'Unresolved items'.

Other versions of Windows

General

How do I configure CompanionLink to sync direct with my Pocket PC/Windows Mobile handheld?

NOTE: With the direct sync, you must ALWAYS disconnect the handheld before opening CompanionLink Setup.

1. If Microsoft ActiveSync is not installed, install this.
2. Install CompanionLink.
3. Disconnect the handheld if it is connected.
4. Open CompanionLink Setup. If you see a configuration wizard, click Next. Otherwise, click on Settings.
5. Select Windows Mobile/Pocket PC Sync Direct.
6. Click Next and choose your contact manager.
7. Click Configure.
8. If you have a Category Field tab, click on this. If you get an error message or if there are fewer than three fields in the dropdown menu, stop here and contact our Technical Support department for more assistance.
9. Click on the Purge And Reload tab.
10. Check all three boxes. NOTE: This will delete all of the data from your handheld and reload it from your contact manager.
11. Click OK, Next and Finish.
12. Exit CompanionLink.
13. Open Microsoft ActiveSync.
14. Connect the handheld.

The setup guide for this handheld type may be found on our website at:

http://www.companionlink.com/support/setup_ppc_wireless.html

NOTE: In order to use the wireless sync, you must have CompanionLink Professional 2.0, build 2642, or higher installed, and you must also sign up for the wireless sync service, which costs $9.95/month. The sign-up is done within CompanionLink Professional.


How do I sync my data one way from my contact manager to my handheld?
The ability to synchronize one way, from the contact manager to the handheld, was added in CompanionLink 2.0. To synchronize one way in CompanionLink 2.0 and higher:

1. Disconnect your handheld.
2. Open CompanionLink Setup.
3. Click on Settings. If you see the user profile screen, click on Next.
4. Click Next and Configure.
5. Click on the Transfer Method tab. (Note: if you don't have this tab, then you have version 1.3 of CompanionLink).
6. Select 'Add PC Info To Handheld'.
7. Click Apply, OK, Next and Finish.
8. Exit CompanionLink.
9. Reconnect your handheld.

By default on subsequent syncs, any changes in the handheld would synchronize to your contact manager. However, on the initial sync, data on the handheld is normally erased whether or not the purge and reload options are selected in CompanionLink. This is a limitation of the direct synchronization and there is no current solution for this.

What are the limitations of the direct sync?

There are many limitations to the direct sync. These include:

• Cannot sync with Outlook, Outlook Express or Palm Desktop. The direct sync only synchronizes with ACT!, GoldMine and Lotus Notes.
• Cannot synchronize handheld on multiple computers.
• Cannot synchronize one way, handheld to PC.
• Cannot use the Category Manager.
• Cannot exclude data from the synchronization based on category.
• No separate backup of the handheld data.
• Cannot synchronize multiple databases.
• Cannot synchronize with multiple contact managers.
• Cannot open CompanionLink Setup while the handheld is connected.
• Cannot sync multiple handhelds of this type on the same computer.

Depending on your contact manager, you may be able to keep some of your contact manager data from synchronizing using other methods. In ACT!, you may do this by using groups. In GoldMine, you may do this by using a filter or a group. This is not possible with Lotus Notes.


I want to synchronize my handheld direct to Outlook.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to use CompanionLink to sync between your Pocket PC/Windows Mobile handheld and Outlook. This is because CompanionLink uses Microsoft ActiveSync to connect to Pocket PC/Windows Mobile handhelds. Microsoft ActiveSync has its own built-in conduits to sync with Microsoft Outlook.

While you should not use CompanionLink to synchronize your Pocket PC/Windows Mobile handheld, the reason is that the ActiveSync program is already capable of doing this. You should use ActiveSync for this task.

What is ActiveSync?

Microsoft ActiveSync is a program that comes with your handheld. It connects your handheld to your computer and does the job of actually synchronizing your handheld to the computer. This is a Microsoft program. CompanionLink does not make this program, although CompanionLink does use it to synchronize your data.

ActiveSync is usually running in the Windows System tray. You can find this icon by looking in the lower righthand corner of your computer screen by the time and looking for the circular icon with arrows in it. If you have a white arrow by the time, you may need to click on this in order to display all of your icons. The ActiveSync icon may be grey, yellow or green, depending on the handheld's connection status. If ActiveSync is not there, you can run this program by clicking on the Start menu, then selecting Programs and then clicking on Microsoft ActiveSync.


What settings do I need in ActiveSync?

• In the upper half of the ActiveSync window, there will be a label describing the handheld and, on the line below, the status of the device. The label for the handheld must NOT be Guest. If it is Guest, then your data cannot synchronize with the handheld. Remove your handheld, soft-reset it and reconnect it. The status of the handheld must be connected and synchronized. Example:

  Pocket PC
  Connected. Synchronized.

• In the lower half of the ActiveSync window, some information types may be listed. You must have Clx-Contacts, Clx-Activities and Clx-Todos selected. If they have a status, that status must be 'Synchronized'.
  • If these are not there:
    • In ActiveSync 3.9 or lower, go to the Tools menu and select Options. You will see a list of information types. Make sure that there are checkmarks next to Clx-Contacts, Clx-Activities and Clx-Todos, then click OK. (In ActiveSync 4.1 and higher, you must delete the mobile device in order to change the options here.)
  • If these are there, but their status is something other than synchronized:
    • In ActiveSync 3.9 or lower, go to the Tools menu and select Options. Click on the third tab (typically 'Rules') and select a conflict resolution method for the desktop of 'Always replace items on my device' and click OK. ActiveSync will resync your information. If this does not resolve the problem, see the list of errors below for more specific help. Do NOT click on the link in ActiveSync.

• Other options
  • In ActiveSync 3.9 or lower, under Tools and Options:
    • The first tab (typically 'Sync Options') may have a checkbox that says 'synchronize with server'. This box must be UNchecked.
    • The middle tab (typically 'Sync Mode' or 'Schedule') MUST be set to 'Continuously while my device is connected'.
    • The third tab (typically 'Rules') MUST have the conflict resolution for the desktop set to 'Always replace items on my device'.

1. Disconnect your handheld, soft-reset it and reconnect it. This resolves the majority of these problems. If you do not know how to soft-reset your handheld, consult the handheld manufacturer.
2. Disconnect the cable from the computer and reconnect it, then restart your computer. This can help in some cases.
3. In ActiveSync, go to the File menu and choose Get Connected. ActiveSync will try to locate your handheld.
4. In ActiveSync, go to the File menu and choose Connection Settings. Make sure that these match what port your handheld is using. (Note: Generally, this option is not available when the handheld is disconnected.)

If none of these steps work, please contact Microsoft and/or your handheld manufacturer for help with getting Microsoft ActiveSync to recognize your handheld.

Important: Handhelds using the Windows Mobile 5 operating system have difficulty connecting to Microsoft ActiveSync, difficulty staying connected, errors with the connection and experience slow synchronizations. This is not a problem we can correct, as it is between the handheld and Microsoft ActiveSync. You can find more about these issues and how to fix them on Microsoft's website at: http://search.support.microsoft.com/ph/10312.

Errors

There's no boxes for me to check in ActiveSync.
In ActiveSync 4.0 and higher, it is not possible to check the Clx options under Tools and Options. In order to choose these, you must delete the mobile device and set up a new partnership.

This problem also can occur when CompanionLink's synchronization component is not installed on your handheld. The ActiveSync process automatically installs this when you first set up the direct sync. Sometimes this will not happen immediately, and it is necessary to disconnect the handheld, soft-reset it, then reconnect it before ActiveSync will do this installation. Other possible issues are:

• Handheld operating system not supported. The direct sync is not supported for the Windows CE operating system prior to 3.0 or for the Windows Mobile Smartphone operating system. If your handheld has one of these operating systems, it will not be able to sync direct. Please see the section on how to find the version of your handheld's operating system on our page, How To Find Versions. Please note that you should also be on the most recent build of CompanionLink.
• CompanionLink files not properly installed in ActiveSync. To fix this, disconnect your handheld, reinstall CompanionLink, open CompanionLink Setup and go through the settings, then exit CompanionLink and reconnect your handheld. This will resend the correct data to ActiveSync and prompt it to load the CompanionLink sync component onto your handheld.
• Other sync software installed. If your handheld has other synchronization components installed on it, this may interfere with CompanionLink's ability to install its sync component on your handheld. To check this, turn on your handheld and go to the Start menu. Go to Settings, System and Remove Programs. The programs installed on your handheld will be listed here. We recommend removing any synchronization programs other than CompanionLink from here.

1. If the full error message is, "Attention required, CompanionLink Professional has not been fully configured", then this is a different problem. Please see our Error Messages page for the fix for this problem.
2. If you are synching to a network database, please make sure that you are logged into the network.
3. Close ActiveSync.
4. Disconnect your handheld.
5. Open CompanionLink Setup.
6. Click on Settings. If you see the user profile screen, click Next.
7. Click on Next and Configure.
8. Click on the Category Field tab. If you receive an error here, then this is the problem. Please see our our Error Messages page and the page for your contact manager to see if your issue is listed and follow the instructions there to fix this problem. Once the problem is fixed, exit CompanionLink Setup and reconnect your handheld. ActiveSync should now be able to synchronize your data.
9. If there are no errors on this tab, click OK, Next and Finish and contact our Technical Support department for more assistance.

1. In ActiveSync, click on the Tools menu and select Options.
2. Click on the middle tab (typically 'Sync Mode' or 'Schedule').
3. Select 'Continuously while device is connected'.
4. Click OK.
5. ActiveSync will attempt to resynchronize. Do not interrupt this sync. When all three passes have finished, your items should be synchronized.

1. In ActiveSync, click on the Tools menu and select Options.
2. Click on the third tab (typically 'Rules').
3. Select 'Always replace items on my device'.
4. Click OK.
5. ActiveSync will attempt to resynchronize. When all three passes have finished, your items should be synchronized.