The Missing Sync 4.0.3

[Joel]

This release boosts synchronization speed, improves iPhoto integration with better photo scaling capability and image quality on the handheld, introduces the Mark/Space Conduit for AvantGo, a native Mac OS X conduit that downloads AvantGo content during synchronization, adds support for the Fossil Wrist PDA, improves MemoPad application functionality with a new sort feature and much more. [details (http://www.1src.com/?m=show&id=827)]

[jjesusfreak01]

Yay, if I had a mac.

[olo]

Just updated and works fine but one thing is really weird:

The AvantGo conduit (finally they made it natively) does copy all files into RAM even though I have checked "use card" if they keep that way it is useless for me (limited RAM on the NZ) and I keep on using "internet sharing for synching AvantGo...

Do you have the same issue?


cheers Nicolas

[bherskovitz]

The update is working great for me; Documents To Go (7.003) finally works! I just wish the iSync conduit was faster; syncing on my WinXP laptop is MUCH faster than on my iBook. I suppose since iSync is also talking to the .Mac server it adds time.

[sungecko]

yep, having the same problem with avantgo and files location. apparently no matter what i do, they still get saved to the handheld, and not the memory card. even deleted the files and resync'd, but no change.

[olo]

yep, having the same problem with avantgo and files location. apparently no matter what i do, they still get saved to the handheld, and not the memory card. even deleted the files and resync'd, but no change.


just wrote an email to the support, we will see what they say...

What really is strange: when I change anything in AGconnect on my Clie it is reversed back after the sync and all files in RAM...
The conduit seems to monitor AGconnect directly... :confused:


cheers Nicolas

[sungecko]

and now my camera doesn't work. crap.

[oz-nom]

I can't get MissingSync to work. At all. Stupid piece of ... :mad:

I get one or more of the following problems:
- soft reset required aftyer EVERY hotsync
- MissingSync taking up to a dozen attempts (or more - I lost count) to actually load
- MissingSync crashing in mid-hotsync, especially when installing software
- MissingSync quitting after most hotsyncs (this was happening so often I thought it was designed to until I actually performed a sync without it crashing)
- other stuff too, but at this stage (after 2 full days of trying to get the thing to work) I've lost track o fall the bugs, errors and miscellaneous problems.

I have tried:
- checking each conduit separately
- updating to 4.0.3
- unistalling and reinstalling MissingSync. Including manually deleting files listed on the Mark-Space website
- hard resetting my T5

The hard-reset seems to have fixed the need for a soft reset after every hotsync, but everything else is as buggy and difficult as ever.

I know many of you use MS successfully, any hints? If I can't get this to work this week I'm going back to tried and true Hotsync Manager. It worked flawlessly for me!

I just want my handheld and desktop to play nice...

Tim (the grumpy one!)

[Joel]

oz-nom, might be a long shot but have you repaired permissions after installing The Missing Sync?

I'm not having problems with this latest update. In fact, the syncs are really faster. However, I'm using a TH55/E and not a T5.

[olo]

oz-nom, might be a long shot but have you repaired permissions after installing The Missing Sync?

I'm not having problems with this latest update. In fact, the syncs are really faster. However, I'm using a TH55/E and not a T5.

Fully agree! No problems beside that AvantGo conduit issue whatsoever. It is even synching faster!
PS: running MAC OSX 10.3.8 and a Clie NZ90/E

cheers Nicolas

[oz-nom]

I've tried everything I can think of. I've repaired permissions, deleted caches, unistalled and reinstalled MissingSync (3 times at least).

I'm very excited though, I just managed to do a full hotsync without error. A rare occurrence over the last week! I'm not hopeful that it will last. And support from Mark/Space is woeful. I've been waiting 5 days for a response and have received nothing other than an automated response. In that time I've tried just about everything - whatever I sent them will be so out of date by the time they eventually respond that it won't be funny. Useless! I don't see how they can call it customer support.

I don't understand it. My T5 was running fantastically - I'd removed all the dregs of old programs lying around and it was flying, hotsyncs were fast and I had a fast & stable device. But like so many users, I wanted more... I liked the ability of being able to choose which conduits were synced and being able to easily access the web & email via bluetooth. So installed Missing Sync. So far I estimate I've lost more than 2 days to it. I can either get my handheld to run or my desktop, but they won't talk nice to each other. MS continues to fail to launch and this is really irritating (ever had to double click an icon 14 times to get an app to launch?). If I had purchsed it from a store I'd be packing it back in it's box & demanding a refund. Mark/Space refuse to give refunds, and since I live in another country, there's nothing I can do about it except try to get the blasted program to work & recover my losses.

Can you tell I'm starting to lose it a little? :eek:

Cheers,
Tim

[Joel]

There are three more things to check:

1. Is the T5 defective? If you have access to another T5, try hotysyncing that.
2. Is the hotsync cable defective? Try using another cable to hotsync.
3. Is the computer defective? Install The Missing Sync in another computer and try a hotsync.

I'm sorry if you're going to lose a few more days over this, but if we do get to solve your problem, it will be fun days ahead! :)

[oz-nom]

Thanks for your comments Joel. Unfortunately I don't have access to another T5, cable or desktop (at least not with OSX). However I don't believe there is a hardware problem. The problem only occurs with hotsyncs and only since installing Missing Sync. And if the problem was on my handheld that wouldn't affect MS launching on my desktop. So that (in my mind) narrows it to the desktop. Also, no other applications, on either platform, are misbehaving.

I would like to completely uninstall MS for one more reinstall effort, but there always seem to be some files or settings left behind after an uninstall. Unfortunately I don't know what, or where, they are. I know that they ARE there because whenever I reinstall MS, it has some, if not most, of the settings from the last installation. Manually removing the files I could find seemed to fix MOST of this, however it is still finding some data somewhere. For example, the first time I installed MS, it said I had 14 days to register, now I have to enter the registration code immediately or the installation fails. It MUST be finding evdence of itself somewhere. Any ideas?

Since the last T5 hard-reset & desktop MS reinstall, I have been having more success at hotsyncing. Some conduits seem to playing up more than others (particulalry TimeCopy & DocsToGo), but even without them I can't guarantee a successful sync. Of course, that presumes I can actually get MS to launch in the first place. My biggest headache remains MS refusing to launch and then quitting (crashing?) after most syncs.

Still no response from Mark/Space support...

Cheers,
Tim

[Joel]

Tim, let's try it this way:

1. Open Finder.
2. In the search box, click the magnifying glass icon and choose "Everywhere"
3. Search for: missing sync
4. Delete all instances.

The next two steps can be done one after the other. Or if you want, you can stop at #5, then hotsync to see if everything's working.

5. Download Missing Sync then install.
6. Download the update then install.

Here's my blog entry (http://www.suplido.com/joel/archives/2003_11.html#000051) when I first installed The Missing Sync. I hope that could help.

[oz-nom]

Thanks for the tips Joel. Unfortuantely I've already tried all those steps. In searching the Mark/Space support pages, I found a few more files (there's quite a few without "Missing Sync" in their name) but still without completely removing all trace.

Does anyone know if there is a log file somewhere that might indicate what was changed on install?
Edit: I've looked but can't find anything. Searched logs & receipts ("Missing Sync Installer.pkg" receipt seems to be removed by MS unistaller, so that's not the culprit).

[olo]

Just a stupid question: doesn't the T5 work with MAC OS X out of the box?
I thought only Clie Handhelds are not supported?
At least it says so on the PalmOne support site...
http://euro.palmone.com/europe/en/support/palmdt4_mac.html

Please enlighten me! :rolleyes:


cheers Nicolas

[Joel]

olo, you're right! I've been using a Clie for some time that I forgot that palmOne devices are already compatible with OS X. oz-nom, why did you get The Missing Sync when Palm Desktop can make your T5 sync already?

[oz-nom]

Nicolas & Joel. Yes the T5 works with the Mac "out of the box". Very well actually. I bought Missing Sync, after much deliberation & research, because I was impressed by what others had been saying about it and was seduced by 2 things: the ability to choose conduits for each sync and bluetooth networking. I now have WiFi (much earlier than expected) so the networking is taken care of. And I can live with slow syncs although I would still like the ability to select conduits. The main reason I'm still persisting is that I paid for this and I can't get my money back! I think this is, at best, unethical (in Australia it would be illegal). But anyway, there's my reasons...

[oz-nom]

Update on efforts today:
On my Mac, made hidden files visible then searched again for all files containing MissingSync, Missing Sync, sync, MarkSpace or Mark Space. Uninstalled Missing Sync then deleted all the files that were clearly MS related (or were sufficiently suspicious to warrant execution). Reinstalled MS. It still found evidence of itself when installing. :( At least MS launched 1st go! Have only performed one sync so far. It completed without crashing but threw a few error messages - mainly from DocsToGo (which doesn't seem to like MS at all!) but also from some normally well behaving apps. Data appeared to sync OK though and no error messages on my handheld.

I'm tired and need sleep so will test more thoroughly in the morning.

Still no response from Mark/Space support. 5 days and counting...

Cheers,
Tim

[edwinsneller]

That sucks you have so many problems with Missing Sync. For what it is worth, I have two T5s and no problems at all using Missing Sync with either of them. This sounds like a software conflict or a bad Palm.

[cure]

I have a TH-55/E and no problems syncing it with my eMac and iBook using Missing Sync. Docs to Go even works well, just sometimes creates duplicates of my files in my Documents folder (I think this is the default place for putting documents created on the handheld). Your strategy for uninstalling and reinstalling is a good one, but no one has mentioned removing the "plist" file. This is a file where some preferences are stored for the app itself. Try uninstalling using your previous strategy, and then looking in your Home's Library folder for something called markspace.plist or missingsync.plist, or something similar (should be within Home>Library>Preferences folder). I'm not on either of my home machines right now, so I can't tell you what it's called exactly. This strategy can help resolve some conflicts with other apps as well.

You will most definitely have to re-register once you re-install after deleting the plist, but hopefully this will take care of your problems. Oh, and Missing Sync might install more than one plist, so watch out for that. As a side note, when I had problems with Missing Sync and my TH-55/E, it usually was a result of some conflict or something with iSync. As a result, I don't use iSync anymore. :)

good luck, oz-nom

keep us posted

[Joel]

Welcome to 1src, edwinsneller, cure. Thanks for the suggestions. Hopefully, oz-nom can fix this soon.

Tim, any chance of transferring/selling the license to someone else? That's the only way I can think of getting your money back, or at least most of it.

[oz-nom]

edwinsneller - welcome to 1src! I'm glas that MS works for you. It's people like you that convinced me to buy it! ;) I'm guessing that there's a preference or setting somewhere that got messed up when I first installed MS - I just can't find it! I do think it is good software ,and I wish it would work for me.

Cure, welcome & thanks for the suggestions. I've deleted all the preference (plist) files related to MS I can find without luck. There must be something else onboard somewhere. As for reregistering, I have no problem with that, I note it only because it indicates that somewhere on my computer is data indicating that I have had Missing Sync installed. And if THAT is the data that is causing the problems...

Cheers Joel. I hadn't thought of selling it to someone else and I may yet pursue that. Until then there is a part of me that enjoying the challenge - if it works for everyone else, why not me? There must be something I can do short of formatting my disk & reinstaling my system. :p I want to find which files are modified when MS is first installed so I can remove all evidence of it's existence and start again. There must be some system files, or other non-missing sync files, that get changed at that initial installation. Someone, somewhere, must know.

My biggest disappointment is with Mark/Space. It's nearly a week since I emailed them about this and still bo response. With every other developer I've dealt with, either on my Palm or Mac, I've had responses within 24 hours, usually much faster. The best customer support I've ever found comes from Llamagraphics (makers of LifeBalance) they are awesome. The contrast with Mark/Space couldn't be much stronger. Oh well, maybe today...

Thanks for your suggestions & support everyone. If anyone is able to find out which files are modifiec on installation please let me know. And if anyone has links to Mark/Space, perhpas you could put in a word for a disillusioned Asutralian.

Cheers,
Tim

[cure]

On a side note, when you install the Missing Sync, it actually deletes the Palm Desktop's built-in HotSync Manager. Perhaps the installer for the Missing Sync looks for the presence of HotSync Manager AND Palm Desktop. If it finds an instance of Palm Desltop but no instance of HotSync manager, maybe it assumes you have already installed MissingSync before, and is why the installer shows it is looking for or deleting already installed instances of missing sync.

Here is what I suggest:
0. Backup all of your data using Palm Desktop's built-in backup creating abilities. In addition, you might want to create a copy of all of your Palm Desktop data (I think the default location is in yourDocuments folder somewhere)
1. Uninstall Missing Sync using the built-in uninstaller (found in the Application's folder)
2. Restart
3. Uninstall Palm Desktop
2. Restart
4. Re-install Palm Desktop
5. Restart
6. Install the Missing Sync
7. Installer will ask you to restart.

All these restarts may be unnecessary, but it seems like I have done this process before with a good amount of success. And good luck again. And don't bother installing any iSync conduits, that will just mess up the whole process :)

good luck!

[oz-nom]

Update:
I finally received a response from Mark/Space. They say that the driver for the Palm Universal Wireless keyboard could be the culprit. I'm not convinced. I don't understand how a driver on my handheld can prevent an application on my desktop from even launching!

I uninstalled & reinstalled M/S yet again, manually deleting all the preference files, then uninstalled & reinstalled DocstoGo. This seems to have helped with the sync issues. I still can't sync all conduits at once, but I can do most of them at a time and any of them individually. Most recent attempt to sync all conduits, M/S simpy quit mid-sync after completing TimeCopy conduit. No error messages were sent to the log. I suspect DTG conduit is teh culprit but don't know if that was the next conduit to be processed. No problems when testing either of these conduits (TimeCopy or DTG) independently.

Failure to launch and premature quitting remain the biggest problem with M/S.

cure - thanks for your suggestion. I'll definitely give it a go, if not tomorrow then on the weekend.

Cheers,
Tim

[oz-nom]

Another update:

I had less time available this week for troubleshooting, which is a shame because I had even more troubles than before <sigh>.

It got to the stage where my keyboard was not responding, I couldn't open any documetns in Documents To Go (fatal error requiring reset EVERY time!) and Missing Sync failing to launch 8 times out 10 and then crashing 19 times out of 20. And I was getting a Fatal Error after every hotsync! My fun levels were low... :(

So, yesterday I hard rest my T5 again. Beginning with Uninstall Manager I began reinstalling applications. The PalmOne keyboard driver was 3rd, Missing Sync immediately crashed. So removed from my handheld and also removed the "installation copy" of Docs To Go.

Reinstalled &/or restored all my apps and most of my data (the curse of not having a back-up program that works) with only a couple of Missing Sync crashes.

Also received word from Mark/Space that the launch issue on my desktop may be due to Norton Anti-virus. Sure enough, if I turn off "auto-protect" then MS launches 1st time every time. And it seems to crash less frequently, although it is difficult to tell if the two are related.

One issue resolved. :)

Finally finished with reinstalling Keyboard.prc - and MS did not crash! Although it did on the next hotsync when I restored the expense DB. But that is th elast crash I've had! I even managed to do a FULL hotsync (all conduits) for the first time since I purchased MS!!

So looks like I can use MS, but only if I turn off Norton Autoprotect 1st. That seems to have been the main culprit for my troubles, everything else appears to have been a side issue. So for anyone else with major troubles with Missing Sync, check your anti-virus software FIRST. I actually have to do some work now (I'm so far behind) so I haven't exhaustively tested, but finally the signs are good. :rolleyes:

Cheers,
Tim

[Joel]

I am strongly against antivirus programs running in a Mac. I have been using Macs for three years now.... and have switched last year. I'm not running any antivirus software and have had no problems.

I get more problems with third party apps than viruses ;)

[oz-nom]

I am strongly against antivirus programs running in a Mac. I have been using Macs for three years now.... and have switched last year. I'm not running any antivirus software and have had no problems.

I get more problems with third party apps than viruses ;)
-
:) True. But I also get so much spam that it's not funny. And I'd hate to accidentally forward one of the nastier, virus containing, ones to my Wintel friends. Sometimes I am able to alert colleagues of a virus they're spreading before they find it themselves. Another service a lowly Mac user can offer to the world... :p

Besides, there are the ever present stories of "1st virus found on a Mac". One day they'll be true (or at least refer to a virus that can be distributed by email rather than requiring physical access and an administrator password). :rolleyes: When that day comes, I'll be ready! Unless I'm hotsyncing with MissingSync at the time...

[Joel]

Spam is almost always filtered by three good email programs I've used: Apple Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, and Opera Mail.

Well, as for alerting my colleagues, I usually email them if they sent me something suspicious. I can always check attachments knowing full well they cannot affect the Mac anyway.

What I'm saying is, at this point, an antivirus software is unnecessary. OS X will always ask you for your admin password if something is being installed. That by itself is enough protection I'm comfortable with. :)

Now back to The Missing Sync, how about completely uninstalling Norton Antivirus and The Missing Sync, fixing permissions, rebooting, and reinstalling The Missing Sync?

[oz-nom]

Since I found the Norton "trick", missing Sync is working fine. As long as I turn off Norton AutoProtect (2 mouseclicks and an adminstrators' password) then MS will launch, & hotsync, without issue. I've almost stopped holding my breath on every hotsync.

And I take your point about viruses and Macs. At this point, I just need to catch-up. I'm behind in work (income generating) and study and now need to focus on them. I may yet try uninstalling Norton etc, but for now I'm happy I can sync and actually use my handheld again.

Now if I can just find a Palm app that will let me read PDF docs all will be well (Adobe viewer is terrible - I lose 1/3 of every line, and all the other apps I've found require a Windows PC). Hmm, I might ask this Q in a new thread...

[Kballweg]

Joel is right about fixing permissions. A lot of wierdness with OS X is directly related to this and can be a bear to track. Run disk utility, or better, get a copy of the shareware utility called Cocktail and try it since it can do so many additional necessary unix maintinence routines that people often short circuit by turning their machines off every night.

Not that this will prove the answer to your MS problems, but at this point it can't hurt.

[sungecko]

the only problem i've had with the latest release has to do with the conduit settings. when i set a certain couple conduits, and set them as default, the program crashes. when i restart the program, most of the time the setting is as i left it before the crash. so far, more of a nusance than a problem.

[oz-nom]

Another update:

I've been syncing quite regularly over the weekend and up to today (Tuesday). Since I turned of Norton AutoProtect, MissingSync has lunched every time and has not crashed once. It doesn't matter how many, or which, conduits are synced - it's all good.

Kballweg: I repaired permissions many times (unnecessarily, usually there was nothing to repair) and my machine is on most nights for overnight unix maintenance routines. The problem was definitely with Norton.

For anyone with problems with Missing Sync, before you go uninstalling the PalmOne keyboard driver or DocsToGo (as MarkSpace will probably suggest) try turning off any anti-virus software on your Mac.

Cheers,
Tim
(a happy MissingSync camper now...) :)

[Joel]

It's good to know this, Tim.

I also setup an "Install" profile where only the Install conduit is checked :)

[oz-nom]

Nearly 2 weeks since I learned to turn off Norton Autoprotect for hotsyncs and the news is all good. With very few exceptions, hotsyncs all go well. While I find a full hotsync slower than with Palm hotsync manager, this is more than offset by the ability to create profiles. I have a few different profiles set-up, so that I can do a full hotsync (all conduits) first thing each day and then simply hotsync the main apps I update during the day. MissingSync has finally earned it's purchase price... :p

Thanks again to all those that offered help & suggestions.

Cheers,
Tim