changing computer's OS, any hints about CLIE destop, etc.???
 

I have had the unfortunate luck of getting a couple nasty viruses as of late. I have been planning on upgrading my computer's OS for sometime. I think now is a good time. I'm okay with the computer end of this, but I'm a bit concerned about losing some of my PDA programs or worse yet not allowing my CLIE to hotsync after the switch. I'm sure there are many others that have done this. I was wondering what might be the best way to handle. Switching from one PDA to another was easy. Will this be too?

OS reinstall/upgrade
 

I went through this when I went from XP(upgraded from 2k) to just XP.

If you can still access the hard drive you had PalmDesktop installed on, copy the folder that is named as your Clie is named (Mine is "PADD"). When you reinstall windows. Install PalmDesktop. give it the name you gave your palm. When finished. Paste your backup over the one it created.

If I remembered all this correctly you should be good to go next time you hotsync!

Or just install the palm desktop again, and sync the palm back all data will be restored (although i would keep a backup of the personal directory aside, and select "Palm overwrites Desktop" just in case ...)
I passed this unpleasent path a few times now ...

I alway recommend that you make a copy of your desktop's HotSync folder. This is the folder in \Program Files\Sony Handheld\... that has the same name as your HotSync name(s). I regularily set aside a copy of this folder as a backup.

If you archive a copy of this folder BEFORE you re-install your OS, you will have the data available after the re-install in case the re-syncing with your PDA goes south. Just make sure that the archived copy is virus free; given that it contains PalmOS datafiles, its unlikely that a Windows virus would see it as containing any infectable files.