Synch-ing two PDA's on the same desktop.

[gyuris]

I have a Clie 760 and my wife has a Palm 505. We would like to synch each PDA separately on the same desktop computer, via their respective USB cradles. Since each of us has different stuff saved in our PDA's, it is important that the two databases don't mix. Each of us wants to keep our stuff separate, but we would like to use the same computer for the synchronize and backup functions.
I installed both the Sony desktop for Clie and the Palm desktop, however, they both point to the same program. Both PDA's have different names, and I uncheck the other name when I synch mine and my wife does the same when she synchs hers. yet they are synching all the info together, so in the end she gets my stuff on hers and I get her stuff on mine.
She and I would like to keep it separate.
Any advice on how to go about this?
Thanks.
:confused:

[DrMud]

If you have Outlook available on the PC one of you could sync to the Palm Desktop the other to Outlook.
I know that this issue is address in the FAQ section of the Chapur.com web site. Chapura provides the conduit to Outlook that ships on the Palm Install CD. Give their site a once over. Also on the Palm.com site I know the question is listed, but I have never looked at their answer.
My wife and I use the Outlook and Palm Desktop method; No new kids and no intermingled data.
DrMud

[djmangen]

An option if you both use the same desktop software is to set up two separate directories/installations of the desktop software. You could have separate icons on the desktop, i.e., wife and husband, and each would have to use their own accordingly.

This will waste some disk space, but will also get you around the problem.

[jimcuz]

You might try this.

Enter a second username in the Palm Desktop. From desktop, go to tools/users and enter her name as a second user. At the point of hotsync, the desktop will ask which username is synchronising. This will maintain separate files for you both and no functionality is lost.

One PC. Two sets of files and peace at home. Whatta concept. :)

cuz

[gyuris]

Thanks.
I have done that. We have two user names in the Palm desktop/ tools/users. The problem is that when doing a hotsynch, it DOES NOT ask us for the user name first. It just goes ahead and does the hotsynch to whichever PDA is in the cradle. This then mixes all the information on the PDA's. Not good.

With respect to having two different directories or folders, the Palm desktop installation program does not allow to chose that, during install. I have two Palm desktop icons displayed, (I installed the Clie provided desktop and then the Palm provided desktop) but they ended up both pointing to the same program, that is they both execute the exact same program.

Maybe the best solution is to have TWO SEPARATE COMPUTERS?????::rolleyes:

[jimcuz]

uh...how do ya feel about a real, live secretary?

Last time I tried that sorta thing was with two palms anyway and we were using DateBook3 now that I think about it.

[gyuris]

I proposed that to my wife, but somehow she nixed that idea right away...
I don't quite understand why. It seems like a perfectly logical solution to me.:D

[djmangen]

Originally posted by gyuris
Thanks.
I have done that. We have two user names in the Palm desktop/ tools/users. The problem is that when doing a hotsynch, it DOES NOT ask us for the user name first.



That is very odd. Two questions:

1. Do you have separate user names in your handhelds? I'm pretty sure the names in the handhelds have to match the names in the desktop software.

2. What version of the Palm desktop software are you using? The most recent is Version 4.1.

[Calvados]

"djmangen" is right, If you have not set up the Palms to the two different user names then when you sync them it will mix everything. I had the same problem with my wife's Palm and then I remembered that she inherited my old Palm of course with my user name.

I did a hard reset on hers, synced it and when ask about the user picked her name, after that each time I synced either mine or hers I never had to pick the name again and the info was not mixed. The down side of that is I had to redo a lot of her info since it was mixed and I of course did a hard reset, but in the long run it was worth it.

Have a good day,
Calvados

[joker34]

Yeah, the only solution to this is to hard reset one or the other, create a new username on the palm desktop, and then once you hotsync the unit you just hard reset, it'll ask you which username you want on your handheld.

[Peng]

I have the same problem as gyuris. I have a Sony Clie and my husband an IBM WorkPad c505. We each have separate user names but he can't sync his WorkPad at all. The HotSync operation keeps getting interrupted.

He didn't have any problems syncing until I downloaded the Palm Desktop for Clie.

[DrMud]

Sorry if I failed to offer this link to "Change Name" earlier in this thread.
DrMud

http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?sid=95605320020719180004&prodID=2456

[jimcuz]

Peng's problem could be interesting. I believe the Palm version of Palm Desktop addresses "expenses" and the Sony version does not which leads me to presume that you can't sync the Clie' on purely palm software. No?

cuzzers

[djmangen]

Originally posted by jimcuz
Peng's problem could be interesting. I believe the Palm version of Palm Desktop addresses "expenses" and the Sony version does not which leads me to presume that you can't sync the Clie' on purely palm software. No?

cuzzers

Well, it might be the the Palm for Clie software can't work with a Palm brand. However, the Palm software with expenses might work on the Clie IF every time the Clie is synced you'd turn off syncing Expenses. Alternatively, if Expenses is not used on the Palm, you could permanently disable that conduit.

Has anyone had success using Version 4.1 of the Palm desktop with a Clie?

[DrMud]

I only know two things that seem to apply here:
1). The SONY Version of the Palm Desktop is different from the one that comes with the Palm Branded devices.
2). Early on in the days when SONY first started selling their handheld may postings on PalmBlvd were related to the issue of incompatibility between the SONY devices and syncing a Palm device to the same PC.

Having had Zero experience with SONY handhelds I cannot say why these statements are true or if in fact that they are, but they seem to be common knowledge.
DrMud

[gyuris]

Success: I was able to synch both separately.
The Hard Reset was the key. BUT, it STILL doen't ask me for any user name when synching, it just synchs automatically to the proper user. (Which is even better, IMO)

OK,... I have done some research on this topic
First of all, thanks DrMud for the site about the ChangeName3.1 program. It works great! I wish I had seen it before I did the Hard Reset. Oh Well...

Second: I have installed both the Clie desktop AND the Palm505 Palm OS desktops on the same computer. They both look the same when opened, and both have the expense icon on the left side. The Sony Clie OEM software has "Expense" included. In fact both my Clie and my wife's Palm are using "Expense" and they synch separately. No need to disable the conduit as long as they both have the Expense program installed.

It seems to me that the Sony Clie 760's palm OS desktop is exactly the same as the Palm505 OS desktop. I can't see any difference. You can synch Clie with the Palm desktop software since they are one and the same. (This applies to the Sony Clie 760 and the Palm 505.)

I think that the early problems synching two Palm OS devices on the same computer were "PEBCAC" problems (Problem Exists Between Computer And Chair). :D

Reference: check out these tips, they might help to clarify some issues:
http://www.pc-mobile.net/rs232tip.htm
and
http://www.pc-mobile.net/cliesync.htm

Good Luck to you all,

[jimcuz]

Second: I have installed both the Clie desktop AND the Palm505 Palm OS desktops on the same computer. They both look the same when opened, and both have the expense icon on the left side. The Sony Clie OEM software has "Expense" included. In fact both my Clie and my wife's Palm are using "Expense" and they synch separately. No need to disable the conduit as long as they both have the Expense program installed.

I'd love to know if both desktops are updating or just one...and WHICH one. Looks as if they are essentially the same anyhoo.

cuzzie

[gyuris]

Actually they are the same, just two desktop icons pointing to the same program on my C: drive. This is the way they installed themselves automatically.....I didn't do it.


Before I synch any of the PDA's, I have to open the PDA desktop program with ANYone of the two icons, change the user name (on the top right corner) to match user name of the PDA I am about to synch, then I press the synch button on the cradle and it synchs.
However, IF I don't change the user name to the correct one, it will refuse to synch and the PDA will give me an error message.

After I synch, I can open anyone of the two desktop icons and the same information appears in each no matter which one I open.

I hope this answers your question.
Regards:)

[jimcuz]

Thanks for going to the trouble to do that.

cuzzer

[djmangen]

Originally posted by gyuris
Actually they are the same, just two desktop icons pointing to the same program on my C: drive. This is the way they installed themselves automatically.....I didn't do it.



If the two icons are pointing to the same program, then you truly have only one program operating. Please go to the Help and About option in the desktop, and tell us which program -- Palm or Sony -- you are using. Again, this is just a matter of curiosity.

[gyuris]

I just checked both desktop icons. The Clie desktop icon's path is pointing to: "C:\Program Files\Sony Handheld\palm.exe"

The Palm505 desktop icon has the path: "C:\Program Files\Palm505\palm.exe"

Both Palm.exe programs are version 4.0.1
It appears that when I installed the Palm505 desktop second (after installing the Clie Palm desktop) , perhaps it overwrote the Clie desktop (?). Or perhaps it is EXACTLY the same program for both??
I am a little confused as to how this happened, but there it is.

:confused:

[djmangen]

Originally posted by gyuris
I just checked both desktop icons. The Clie desktop icon's path is pointing to: "C:\Program Files\Sony Handheld\palm.exe"

The Palm505 desktop icon has the path: "C:\Program Files\Palm505\palm.exe"

Both Palm.exe programs are version 4.0.1
It appears that when I installed the Palm505 desktop second (after installing the Clie Palm desktop) , perhaps it overwrote the Clie desktop (?). Or perhaps it is EXACTLY the same program for both??
I am a little confused as to how this happened, but there it is.

:confused:

Odd. Since the programs are in separate directories, they may be identical pieces of software but different code is being executed depending on which icon to use. What I find especially odd about this is that I would assume that each writes data to different locations, i.e., physically distinct subdirectories under it's own directory structure. If that was the case, however, it would seem that your syncs would be only partial if, for example, you used the Sony icon/program/data files to sync the Palm. Maybe I'm missing something here.

[boverway]

I work in a corporate environment and have the unfortunate taks of trying to support Palm, Sony, and Handspring all at the same time. Up through Palm Desktop 4.01 I have been able to use the same software for all PDA devices except for the PALM 505.

The only thing I have had to update were USB drivers for each device. On the PALM 505, Palm updated some additional files but didn't change the revision number.

I am just starting a 4.1 install so haven't tested this yet.

B-

[jimcuz]

You don't supposed we've been

<gasp>

duped?

cuzzie