Bckin up Series 3c

[Peter Kelly]

I have had a Psion 3c for five years, and find it indispensable. My only issues with it are (1) that it is too bulky to carry in your pocket and (2) that backing it up on my PC seems to be tricky. To be fair, I only got around to making a serious effort on this a few months ago. My PC runs Windows ME, and I had a lot of problems. I spent around £100 on the Psion helpline, and finally managed to back up the Agenda and the Data to the PC. But this seems to have happened in a funny way. Agenda has appeared in Microsoft Outlook, very prettily. But Data appeared as a Psion file with the file extension .DBF--perfectly functional, but doesn't seem to relate to Outlook or any other application. When I called the helpline guy and told him how things had worked out, he seemed amazed. But worse, I have no idea how I did it, and I don't think I could do it again.

Does this seem familiar to anyone? Is there a simple and foolproof way to back up the Psion? By the way, is "synchronising" the same as backing up?

Another question: if Psion is going out of the PDA business, is it time to switch to something else? If so, what?

I look forward to hearing from someone!

Peter Kelly:confused:

[nclark]

If you are using PsiWin and all you want is a backup, then just use the Backup Psion option on the PC. This will keep a copy of everything on the PC in case the Psion is lost or broken. It's pretty quick for the 3 series too, due to the low amount of memory the applications take up.

If you want to synchronise the data with Outlook, then this too is possible for the Agenda application using PsiWin. Just set the synchronisation option in the circular red icon in Outlook, and every time you press this any changes will be synchronised between the two.

I think the 3c also has th Contacts application, and this too can be synchronised with Contacts in Outlook - set it up using the same option described above.

Generic databases are more of a problem, but can be copied from one to another, and as you say will have a dbf extension on the PC, but will not be usable. If you can get a copy of the PsiWin 1.1 then this included a desktop version of the data application which can use the data files. Alternatively output the data to csv format on the Psion and open them using Excel or Access on the PC.

Hope this helps.

[MikeMcC]

finally managed to back up the Agenda and the Data to the PC. But this seems to have happened in a funny way. Agenda has appeared in Microsoft Outlook, very prettily. But Data appeared as a Psion file with the file extension .DBF--perfectly functional, but doesn't seem to relate to Outlook or any other application. You appear to have 'synchronized' Agenda with Outlook but backed up your Data file(s). A backup should simply copy the files in native Psion format so that they can be copied back if you need to restore. Data files do have the .dbf extension and, as Nick says, PsiWin 1.1 has an application to open Series 3 Data files directly on the PC (and you can download a copy from the Series 3 page of my website).

I am sorry you threw away £100 on the official helpline. Someone I spoke to by phone told me he had got into conversation with a young man at Psion's support desk. The "support" chap was a Dutch student who said he knew nothing at all about Psions but had received some training on how to search the official manual - and that's the diabolical service people are being charged extortionate rates for!

[Peter Kelly]

Dear MikeMcC and NClark

Thank you very much--at last some knowledgeable help. I connected the Psion to the PC, hit "Synchronise", and hey presto, the job was done.

EXCEPT that for some reason my "Data" file on the Psion is now completely blank! It looks as if the synchronisation exercise copied the "Contacts" part of Outlook to the Psion, Unfortunately, the Outlook Contacts file was empty--because all my Psion contacts were in the .DBF file I mentioned, not in Outlook. How can I restore the .DBF file to the Psion? Or better still, is there some way I can copy the .DBF file over into Outlook, so that subsequent synchronisations work smoothly?

I really am grateful for your help.

Peter Kelly

[nclark]

Oops!

If you have the dbf file on the PC, it should just be a case of copying it back into the DAT directory on the Psion using File Manager or My Computer and My Psion. With luck a new synchronisation should then upload your data into Outlook, but keep the original dbf on the PC just in case.

I don't think there is a way to bring the data into Outlook directly. What's really needed it the Palm Hotsync option of PDA overwrites Outlook, but this doesn't exist in PsiWin. You can do it the other way by renaming the Agenda file or Contacts database first and letting PsiWin recreate them.

Let us know how you get on.

[netBookBabe]

Peter

I didn't realise the 3c had the Contacts app, never having owned one. That being the case, you may find the following thread of interest, where we discussed (from about the 4th post) the options of synchronising either Psion Data or Psion Contacts with Outlook Contacts. I think it helps to have an understanding of that.

http://www.pdastreet.com/forums//showthread.php?s=&threadid=3439&highlight=Outlook+Data

As a Series 3 user, you may also like to consider an alternative piece of software for synching (only for S3 - not EPOC, by the way):

http://www.gadec.com/psisync/default.asp

I used to use this with my old 3a, and found it did a far more smooth and accurate job of synching with Outlook than PsiWin ever managed. It has moved on quite a few versions since the days I used it - I'd be interested to hear feedback from anyone using it now.

Julie

[MikeMcC]

Originally posted by netBookBabe
I didn't realise the 3c had the Contacts app, never having owned one. Neither did I and I still have a 3c!

[Trumpet Rider]

Peter, I have had a Seies 3mx for some years now, but the screen is failing.

I purchased a Sony Clie as a replacement and had to somehow translate from the 3mx the existing phone books, 500+ entries (!) and my Agenda, 1500 entries, for the Clie.

I found the only way was using PsiWin to back up the entire memory contents of the 3mx onto my PC, then use Microsoft Office 2000 Outlook to import the data into the scheduler and phone book in Outlook. This entailed converting to .csv format and aligning the required fields to retain as much information as possible.

Eventually my patience paid off, and was able to send the information to my Clie (palm platform) by using the Intellisync software provided with it.

If you have not already got it, obtain PsiWin. This is a good program, and has several options to convert data into other formats for you. Outlook has several import filters to refine the conversion to a readable format on the PC.

By the way, The Series 3 is a great machine. Shame mine is dying and too old to repair cost - effectively. It has features my new Clie has not!... eg Battery back-up, REPLACEABLE recharegeable batteries, Easy to use Agenda, Sound recorder, file manager, etc., but to name a few.

Hope any of this helps! :D

[netBookBabe]

Originally posted by nclark
I think the 3c also has the Contacts application, and this too can be synchronised with Contacts in Outlook - set it up using the same option described above.
OK, thanks to Mike, it is now clear that the 3c does NOT have the Psion Contacts application, so my comments about synching with that are not relevant to you, Peter. Sorry about that - it's no big deal, anyhow - you should be able to synch OK with your Data files, once you get sorted out.

The info I posted about Psi-Sync is still applicable, of course.

Julie

[Peter Kelly]

Thanks, everyone.

Before I try out your suggestions, I should clarify one thing: like everybody else's, my Psion 3c never had a "Contacts" application until earlier today--it was called "Data". Now the icon on the System screen has been renamed "Contacts", although, as I have said, it is empty. I find it weird that the application could have become renamed.

I agree so much with what Trumpet Rider says about the Psion--the best bit of British technology I've ever come across, if this doesn't sound snide or patronising. Also the most user-friendly, idiot-proof computing device on the market. I can't understand why it's going out of business.

Peter

[MikeMcC]

my Psion 3c never had a "Contacts" application until earlier today--it was called "Data". Now the icon on the System screen has been renamed "Contacts" It seems that, as a result of synchronizing with Outlook, you now have a "Data Application" file whose name happens to be "Contacts". If you highlight it and press 'Tab' to display the \DAT\ directory, you should see a file Contacts.dbf

The Icons don't have names - the files for the particular application are listed under the icon.

[nclark]

Oops again. My apologies - I went back to look at the 3c and 3mx and couldn't find the contacts app, just a data file called contacts created by PsiWin. I remember now the contact app appeared with the 5mx.

I think my other suggestions still stand, but just ignore me if I get it wrong. I only use the 3c for collecting data from my weather station now so am a bit rusty on it.

Sorry again.

[Peter Kelly]

You people have been really helpful. I managed to copy the Data file which I had originally backed up to my PC last July back to the Psion last night. For some reason what went across wasn't the up-to-date version of Data, but the differences are small and I was easily able to correct manually what has now appeared back in my Psion.

So: the position now is that my Psion has the correct files for Agenda, Jotter and Data (these are the only applications I use). In fact, under Data I have three files: Contacts (which as I explained early on is empty, because it is a copy of the equally empty Outlook Contacts file), Data (which is the up-to-date file as described above), and "Oct02" which is a copy of Data which I made this morning (I'm getting cunning).

On my PC there is an up-to-date Outlook Calendar file (which is a replica of my Psion Agenda file) and an empty Outlook Contacts file. The $64,000 question is: how can I synchronise my Psion with Outlook so that the Psion Data file copies to Outlook Contacts, and not the reverse (which would delete my Psion data file?

I am hoping that you can advise me how to do this synchronisation, now and routinely in the future.

If you could also tell me how to synchronise Jotter (which doesn't seem to have happened so far), this would be a bonus--not critical, though.

Incidentally, nclark in his first message referred to a "circular red icon" in Outlook. I can't find anything like this.

Many thanks, all, and looking forward to hearing from you.

Peter Kelly

[nclark]

The red circular icon is the PsiWin synchronisation symbol and is usually found on the toolbar at the top of Outlook towards the right hand side. Did you install PsiWin after Outlook? If not that might explain why it's missing. It's the same as the desktop version anyway.

Why you click on this (or on the desktop Psion Synchroniser) a Window opens with your synchronisations. With a 3c you probably only have one entry there. Highlight it at then click Properties. On the Applications tab There are a number of options, including Synchronise my Contacts. tick this and select the Data option from the browse (...) button and then select the data file to be synchronised.

When you next run the synchronisation, the entries should be merged. Obviously make a backup copy of your data file first just in case.

Hope this helps.

[Peter Kelly]

Thanks--there is Psion Synchroniser button, I find--it's not red and round, it's kind of square and red and blue and has tiny syncronisation symbols on it. But nothing happens when I click it. The Outlook application was installed before PsiWin, I think.

Peter

[Peter Kelly]

Disregard my last mesage--the Outlook button worked, and I successfully synchronised Contacts with my Psion data file. Great--I think I'm finally getting the hang of this thing.

Two small questions:
(1)when I enter phone numbers on my Psion I do not include the city code if it's a Dublin number, because that's where I live. But Outlook automatically prefixed all the Dublin numbers with (202), as if they were Washington, DC, numbers. U.S.A. Area Code (202) was set in New Call-Dialling Properties, I discovered, so I have now changed that to Ireland--area code (01). If I synchronise again, will it correct the Dublin numbers? I ask only out of interest, because it's not a big deal to correct the Dublin numbers manually and individually.

(2) I would still like to synchronise or back up my Psion Jotter application, but I don't seem to be able to. Any ideas?

Have a nice weekend.

Peter

[netBookBabe]

Originally posted by Peter Kelly
...when I enter phone numbers on my Psion I do not include the city code if it's a Dublin number, because that's where I live. Peter

I can't help thinking it would be simpler if your Dublin numbers included the area code in the first place, then you would have no hassle when synchronising. That way you only have to amend them once, instead of many times - or am I missing something here?

Julie

[Peter Kelly]

Julie

No, you're not missing anything, you are absolutely right. It's just that I have been entering numbers in the Psion for five years without a thought of backing up or synchronising. So now that I'm trying to synchronise I realise that I should have been doing what you have said all along. So I wasn't being intentionally stupid, just unintentionally stupid.

Probably the next sysnchronisation will fix this.

Peter