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    Comments on: How To: Possible Fix for m500 Series USB ProblemMany, though far from all, Palm m500 series users have had problems HotSyncing with USB. After working fine, the handheld will abruptly and permanently no longer be able connect to any computer with USB. Serial connections aren't affected. People who complain to Palm generally either get their handheld replaced or hear the suggestion that they switch to a serial cradle. Recently, a possible fix to the problem was posted on the PIC forums by Ales Omahen, a Slovenian m505 user who used it to get his handheld HotSyncing via USB again. Update: Palm has begun a program for replacing old m500 series cradles with new ones that offer better protection from static electricity. According to Palm, this electrostatic discharge (ESD) disrupts the handheld enough that it is no longer able to HotSync.
Detailed Comment View (233 Total Comments)
The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PIC is not responsible for them in any way. login or register for free in order to post comments.  Give me a break!I.M. Anonymous @ 1/6/2002 5:11:22 PM #
Boy doesn't this kind of fix seem awfuly familiar?! It's about the same as the fix to correct the under par screen on the M505.
Face it Palm has to step up to the mat and fix their own problems,so people can't perpetuate these *&#@! hoaxes. I am really dissapointed in Palm, and am still astounded how in such a short amount of time how Palm's licensees is leaving them in their dust. RE: I tried it and it workedI.M. Anonymous @ 1/6/2002 6:10:40 PM #
So are you saying you tried it and it doesn't work? Or are you like the cat who sat on a hot stove and will never do it again, but also won't sit on a cold stove either? Some level of caution is good but too much caution is just as bad as being too trusting.
RE: I tried it and it workedI.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 12:19:26 PM #
You are dissapointed? Go buy a PPC, uBid and ebay are full of refurbished units...
RE: I tried it and it workedI.M. Anonymous @ 1/15/2002 3:07:53 AM #
I tried and it DIDN'T worked!!!
I started the procedure sunday at 5.00 pm and i left the palm discharching till monday 22.00 pm. Then i started to charge, i tried after half an hour to turn it on, but nothing. I waited for an hour... Still nothing. After two hours... The same. I left it on the cradle all night and in the morning... Guess? Well, now i don't know what to do! Please help me! I don't want to be the only one who didn't succeed in it! Stefano RE: I tried it and it workedI.M. Anonymous @ 1/17/2002 1:18:01 PM #
My palm apparently has this problem as well. Palm support didnt say anything about a USB issue but however initiated an advanced exchange, sending me a new device with 15 days to send back the old one. I finally transferred everything over from my old m505 to the new one and now, 2 days later, the new m505 has the same problem.
I haven't sent back the old palm so i used it to test this one out and it worked great. I'm thinking about sending the replacement back now instead. Thanks for the tip RE: I tried it and it workedI.M. Anonymous @ 1/18/2002 11:30:51 AM #
I'm very glad I found this thread. I got the same USB hot-sync problem with my M505 a month ago. Palm support told me to wait and watch the Palm site for a software update to solve the problem. And as you all know, that hasn't happened. I used the method stated here for the battery drain and my unit is up and running today.
WONDERFUL! RE: I tried it and it workedI.M. Anonymous @ 1/27/2002 3:34:59 PM #
i used the shortcut.1 technique and I got it working. Strangely the people at Palm don't know anything about the technique. What a strange company--one would think that they would do almost anything to get this straightened out.
RE: I tried it and it workedI.M. Anonymous @ 2/1/2002 6:37:27 PM #
Work fine for me on an M505 which suddenly stopped syncing just before a long trip where I needed Avantgo and other stuff. Well done to all concerned. Richard RE: I tried it and it workedI.M. Anonymous @ 2/9/2002 2:20:11 PM #
I tried the fix to, but could not get it to work. My palm 505 (IBM workpad 505 actually) did´nt freeze up when I wrote that symbol followed by .1 Is the a special way of doing this, because I just write the symbol followed by .1, and press "done" i the program. Anybody ? RE: I tried it and it workedI.M. Anonymous @ 2/25/2002 11:27:53 AM #
This worked for me. I did the hard reset, wrote the shortcut character with the .1 and waited 24 hours before charging it up again and re-synching. Thanks for the info! RE: I tried it and it workedI.M. Anonymous @ 5/23/2002 10:33:01 PM #
I owned the m515 for less than three weeks before I caught SUDS. Seems my offense was carrying my Palm in the pocket of a polar fleece jacket, and giving it a static shock when I removed the jacket. I tried the uncharging fix tonight--worked fine. One trick: some users that haven't been able to get the shortcut + . + 1 combo working may need to perform a hard reset of the Palm first (some instructions on the net leave this out). This shouldn't matter, since you're losing all your data anyway. I let the Palm discharge for 5 hours from an almost full battery on full light. (Funny....battery never seemed to last that long.) Sort of an annoying problem, especially if this is to keep happening (happened once with a 505 I used to own). However, now that Palm has changed their return policies ("Yes, we realize you have paid $400 for our faulty product, but we'll still charge you $25 to send a factory refurbished unit that has caused someone else problems..."), this solution is at least worth trying out. RE: I tried it and it worked
My M505 stopped syncing on June 10, 2001. I followed the recommended fix and drained the battery for 12 hours. The fix worked perfectly. RE: I tried it and it worked
Well, I have to say I wasn't so sure about this at first but I tried it and it worked perfectly. It was already half drained so I only let it discharge overnight and charged it up in the morning. I think this is kind of odd this only happened after I got my replacement cradle to fix the SUDS problem. It had been syncing fine for over 3 years so I'm not sure what happened. Glad it worked. RE: I tried it and it worked
I have a Palm m515 with a USB cradle marked "E". All of a sudden after using the device for about 3-4 months the USB hoysync simply died. After using the first method of draining the battery out completly and performing a hard-reset - it once again started functioning normally. The serial hotsync capability remained functional throughout. Thanks for the advice and I hope this does not happen all the time! RE: I tried it and it worked
My wife's Palm m515 suddenly stopped hotsyncing about 2 weeks after she received it. My m515 hotsynced, in the same cradle, without difficulty. I called Palm Support and they tried a hard reset, which did not work. Palm told me that they would replace the unit, but would not be able to do so for several weeks since it was Chrismastime and their supply of m515's was low. I found the article in this forum about the battery draining procedure. I tried it and it worked! It took about 6 hours to completely drain the battery. I just completed the hotsync, so don't know if this fix will last or if there will be any long-term consequences to the battery draining procedure. Thanks for the suggestion! RE: I tried it and it workedjerseyborn2002 @ 1/18/2003 8:37:17 PM #
I tried this method but after I drained the battery I put the M505 into the cradel to recharge. After 2 days it would still not power up. I tried the hard reset button but my unit will not power up. Anyone seen this and have any suggestions?? Thanks in advance.
If You Keep Doing What You Did You Will Get What You Got.. RE: I tried it and it workedbrentferree @ 2/9/2003 11:27:45 AM #
I followed the directions and my palm m505 now hotsync's without an issues.
Brent 
 Thanks for the advise, but first I have to replace my mboardI.M. Anonymous @ 1/6/2002 3:07:48 PM #
I am hoping that this will help. Unfortunately, I have found out that the USB hot sync cradle has fried my USB integrated with the motherboard. A glimmer of hope here is that I have a Dell PC, still under warranty and Dell is generously replacing the MB. I am having serious doubts about using this device again, since I fear risking the health of my PC. This entire experience has resulted in my confidence level dropping to zero regarding using a PDA again. More worrysome is the complete lack of help available from Palm. Best of luck to everyone, but I am blowing the dust off my Sharp Wizzard and thanking God I bought a Dell PC.
RE: Thanks for the advise, but first I have to replace my mboardI.M. Anonymous @ 1/6/2002 6:08:05 PM #
Hi,
This sounds similar to the claim of some people that this happens with the serial port RE: Thanks for the advise, but first I have to replace my mboardI.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 12:11:46 AM #
Unfortunately, by the time one has found out that they need to go to all this trouble, it will be too late.
RE: Thanks for the advise, but first I have to replace my mboardI.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 11:43:38 AM #
My 505 cradle just fried my USB ports last week. I was using my computer just like I normally do and thought that I should hot sync. I put my palm on its cradle and my USB mouse light went out, no hotsync would work and my usb scanner won't work. Checked the bios to make sure everything was on but nothing had changed. I think I can pretty safely say it was putting the palm on the cradle that did it. I have an Abit KT7A-raid that is now without any of its USB ports. Sucks because I don't know if I should just get a new MB or do I need to replace the cradle or what?
RE: Thanks for the advise, but first I have to replace my mboardI.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 11:50:33 AM #
DUDE, I hope you got a DELL.
-Steven Static
The static discharge hurting Dell computers story is covered here:
www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=2210 You might also be interested in this: Thanks! RE: Thanks for the advise, but first I have to replace my mboardI.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 3:53:58 PM #
When I got my m505, it too fried the integrated USB ports on my (non-Dell) machine. I thought I was alone... until now.
RE: Abit KT7A fried USB ports.I.M. Anonymous @ 1/8/2002 10:11:46 AM #
Happened to me too, but as the VIA-based USB support has ALWAYS been a little flakey, I opted to purchase a $30 USB 2.0 PCI card instead. Much cheaper than replacing the MB, and I'll be ready for ultra-fast USB2 if MS ever release Win2K drivers for it.
- cowpen RE: Thanks for the advise, but first I have to replace my mboardI.M. Anonymous @ 2/19/2002 10:11:08 PM #
Just wondering... Would a USB hub placed between the palm and the computer protect the mother board's circuitry? RE: Thanks for the advise, but first I have to replace my mboardI.M. Anonymous @ 2/24/2002 8:38:05 PM #
really appreciate the advise, but didn't work for me... i just asked palm.japan for mborad replace. RE: Thanks for the advise, but first I have to replace my mboardI.M. Anonymous @ 3/7/2002 10:53:29 PM #
An m500 took out the USB ports on my Dell at work a few weeks ago. Our IT folks replaced the motherboard and all went well until yesterday, when the same failure occured. I plugged in the Palm (a different m500 this time), the Dell spontaneously rebooted, and the USB ports never responded again. I guess our IT guys will have to replace the motherboard again. Of the 10 m500s we bought for my team, 4 have have been replaced for the old "USB synch quits working" problem and 2 more have failed. We have given up on getting Palm to replace them and are going to purchase serial cradles. Hopefully this will fix both the USB synch failure and USB port death problems.
I have a real love/hate relationship with the Palms. I am completely dependent on mine and love the features. Even though we have invested in several keyboards and modems, we'll probably buy Sonys in the future. Based on our miserable experiences, I have been directing potential customers away from Palm products. Its too bad, they are a great concept but the Palm engineering and customer service problems are driving their customers away. I just hope the PalmOS survives the likely demise of Palm as a hardware producer.
Sounds about right but....SilliconMan @ 1/6/2002 3:13:21 PM #
If the CPU registers determine the speed of the USB syncing, wouldn't just changing the registers with a specially written ASM hack do the trick without having to drain the battery and hard reset (Which BTW, when the battery is dead a hard reset often occurs anyway as the RAM loses power)?
Palming away..... RE: Sounds about right but....
If you would like to write such a hack and save a lot of people a whole bunch of trouble, that would be great.
I agree that the hard reset in these instructions is probably redundant but it certainly doesn't do any harm and it might be necessary. This is voodoo repair. We're not 100% what is wrong so it is tough to say what is and isn't necessary to fix it. If someone would like to try this without the hard reset and let us know if it works, that'd be good, too. RE: Sounds about right but....I.M. Anonymous @ 1/6/2002 7:33:46 PM #
Anyone with half a technical brain knows that the "fix"-meister is a shonk... forget it guys - he's full of BS.
RE: Sounds about right but....
Yes, you are right. I took a snapshot of the working registers and the next time my Palm dies I wanted to do exactly that - write a piece of code to restore the original state of the registers. The "problem" is that my Palm is still working and I have no way to determine the faulty state of registers. Then again one could write a program to set the communication and speed registers to the default values...
But if maybe somebody with IR sync and a dead USB sync could provide snapshots of all pages of DragonReg tool, one could try to develop a patch. You can find the tools here: If you would be so kind to provide me with those snapshots, I would be glad to write a piece of code that tries to restore USB functionality without a full reset... Provided that the problem is in the registers... I fear this might not be the case (just like the kind mr. Anonymous pointed out). But what we do know is that a hard reset with memory erase won’t fix it and that the UART port on the bottom of the device is not dead since my Palm keyboard always worked like a charm. RE: Sounds about right but....SilliconMan @ 1/7/2002 3:01:14 PM #
>>>Anyone with half a technical brain knows that the "fix"-meister is a shonk... forget it guys - he's full of BS.<<<
Was that directed at me? Anyone would know with a half techincal brain knows that a CPU uses registers (in older CPUs such as the Eniac these registers were actually relay switches which actual bugs (live ones!..) got stuck in causing a crash or problems). If you want to know more go do some research, but until you do, don't come here and say I'm full of BS.
RE: Sounds about right but....I.M. Anonymous @ 1/15/2002 1:01:03 AM #
I have a dead 505 that I am about to send back. Tell me where to send the screen shots of the registers, and I'll get them to you.
Taking a quick look and comparing the registers of the replacement I got today with the one that's going back (not knowing what I'm looking at, but assuming we're looking for things that don't match), the following registers are out of whack: register -- dead -- refurb All the other registers match up, except for those in the Real-time clock category. If you need those, let me know. I just got the replacement, so I can hold this one back safely until Thursday morning, without risking a credit card charge. If someone - anyone - can develop a piece of software that will test and restore a broken unit, you'll be my hero - I'm on my FOURTH! -Kevin
Battery Drain fixI.M. Anonymous @ 1/6/2002 4:53:24 PM #
Well, without intending to, I got to try this fix, and the good news is, it does work. The bad news is what led me there, and I'm wondering if any of you have had the same problem...
Sometime yesterday, I noticed my 505 heating up, physically. Like, hot to the touch. I turned off afterburner (just in case) and turned the system off for a while. It cooled down. Then it started giving me low battery warnings. Every time I put it in the cradle to charge, it would get warm to the touch again, and the battery level would DROP. Last evening I left it, powered down, out of the cradle (for fear of how hot it would get - I keep my desk quite a mess.) When I woke up, it had drained its own battery. I came on here looking for a similar story - instead I found this, and learned that I was privy to the one small respite of a working hotsync again. If anyone could tell me what's going on, I'd appreciate it. RE: Battery SUDDEN Drain and HOT batteryI.M. Anonymous @ 1/6/2002 5:44:56 PM #
I have had this same SUDDEN DRAIN/HOT battery problem TWICE with two different m505's. I am on my third m505. I had the first one for 6 months and my second one for only 1 month when this suddenly happened. I have heard this story at least 3 times before. I think that their is something seriously wrong with the m505 battery technology OR there is some design/manufacturing flaw/slopiness that is causing it. The question is, are there many more m505's out there that are ticking time bombs with this same problem? BTW, I did the soft/hard/warm resets all to no avail. I have no hacks or afterburners on it. I charge everyday. My first m505 was bought in May 2001 so it was an early one. My second one was bought in Nov 2001. I got my 3rd one in Dec. All were bought from a retail store. You may find this article very interesting:
RE: Battery Drain fix
No getting hot here, but I've had quite my share of problems with battery life too. Basically, my 505 fails to load properly. It can be almost empty yet claims to be full in 10 minutes or so (4.20v). Goes without saying that once I start using it, it falls to it's 'pre-charge level' almost as fast. It doesn't really load but thinks it does. The result: I can leave it in the cradle for 24 hours and yet it isn't fully charged, always thinking it is already there when in reality it still has some time to go. Palm 'repaired' my unit but it appears they send me a new one instead (judging by the feel of it). It doesn't change one little bit, getting me to wonder whether it's not my cradle that causes all this. Anyone with a similar experience?
RE: Battery Drain fixI.M. Anonymous @ 1/8/2002 10:03:07 AM #
I don't think it's the cradle because I had this problem with 2 different m505's and exchanged them for m505 #3 and #3 works so far WITH THE SAME OLD CRADLES. BTW - I am using the SERIAL cradles. I think there is a battery/tech flaw with a high % of m505's out there that has yet to rear its ugly head. How long did you own your m505 before it starting having hold-charge problems?
RE: Battery Drain fixI.M. Anonymous @ 1/8/2002 11:17:06 AM #
I been told the way to fix this is do a reset with the Palm in the cradle. Or was it a hard reset? Can't remember. This will make it fully charge again.
Static Discharge another possible solutionI.M. Anonymous @ 1/6/2002 4:57:32 PM #
My m505 has sometimes hotsync problem and when I heard a rumor about static charge as malfunction cause, I tried to do an experiment: when I push the hotsync button on the cradle, at the same time I touch a metal pipe connected to the 'ground' of my house and I noticed that the hotsync perform well.
It worked (in general) for meI.M. Anonymous @ 1/6/2002 6:00:06 PM #
Friday evening I read the posts and decided to try it. I used BackupBuddyVFS to back up to my MMC card. Forgetting that I should hard-reset my m505, I then went into the memo pad and entered the "shortcut.1". By morning I had a totally unresponsive m505. I let it recharge, then made a big mistake. I tried to hotsync it (after all, that was why I was doing this, right?). It worked, but then my Palm was back at October 24 (my last hotsync).
I then used BackupBuddyVFS to restore my Palm. It warned me that it couldn't restore my palm unless it copied BackupBuddyVFS from my Palm to the MMC card. I agreed to let it. Big mistake number 2. Everything restored OK except for the databases for AllTime. Not good. I hadn't billed my smallest customer yet for my December work, and everything since 10/24 was gone. I was not a happy camper. Multiple file deletes followed by restores failed to give me back my data. As a last attempt, I downloaded McFile and discovered that the Backup files for AllTime on the MMC card were dated Friday. The ones on the Palm were dated Saturday (post-hotsync). I copied them from the card to the Palm and all my data was back. Major relief. Dear McFile, my registration is on its way. So here's my suggested process (based on my experience): 1. Backup to SD/MMC card. mike d P.S. Saturday I got an email from Palm that they had finally shipped the advance replacement m505 that I first requested on 11/26. RE: It worked (in general) for meI.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 10:13:22 AM #
Thanks for you insightful process. I wish I had read this before I tried. This does work. I hotsynced (but did not change Handheld overwrites desktop) so I destroyed by palm desktop backup. And I couldn't get the SD card with BackupBuddy to work. Ugh! So I installed BackupBuddy on the palm, then was able to restore from the SD card, thank God.
Now everything is back to normal, including USB syncing. This was a great tip. Thanks. RE: It worked (in general) for meI.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 10:36:58 PM #
Everybody is mentioning the BackupBuddyVFS. I have the Backup memory card. Is there
something I'm missing or is the backup memory card and Backupbuddy VFS just the same. If not, could someone enlighten me as to the advantage? Thanks BackupBuddyVFS vs Backup CardI.M. Anonymous @ 1/8/2002 9:16:41 AM #
BackupBuddyVFS is a program that copies the contents of your Palm onto a "regular" SD or MMC card. I keep a 32MB card in my m505. Of that 32MB, 8MB is used for Palm backup, and about half the rest is used for such things as Mapopolis maps and an NASB Bible with Strong's reference. There's also a few fun applications that I've just got to have, but I don't want to waste Palm memory on ("Tie" comes to mind).
BackupBuddyVFS comes in two flavors: a free one that does a full backup or restore on demand, or an inexpensive version that allows selective or scheduled backups or restores. The Backup card does backups, and that's it (though I seem to recall a reference on PIC to a way to mofiy the card into a standard 16MB card). It has the backup program pre-loaded onto the card. mike d Procedure for Palm replacementI.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 3:16:54 AM #
How do you get Palm to agree for m505 replacement. I bought my m505 from eBay. Finally I got m505 USB hotsync problem, and wondering if I should ask Palm to replace it. RE: It worked (in general) for meI.M. Anonymous @ 3/9/2002 8:59:00 AM #
Call them up at 1-888-956-7256, option 5, and tell them you can't HotSync anymore. They'll send you an M505 Enhanced US for exchange.
HELP!!!!!!
i did this, and now my palm freezes up all the time, exactly like it did when i hit the .1 thigny in memo. how do i unfreeze my palm. hard resets just delayed the freeze to a couple minutes after the reset
RE: HELP!!!!!!
Try to do another hard reset with memory erase. The Power Button + Reset pin on the back of your Palm.
Then DON'T sync it yet but try and see if it works like that with default settings and built-in software. If it doesn't I don't know how to help you and I guess Palm Inc. will be happy to replace your m505. If your Palm works without any problems w/o extra software then it is likely that there is something wrong with the software you installed on your Palm. Install applications one at a time and isolate the application that messes things up.
It worked great...
Hi!
I just wanted to tell you that it worked with my brother's m505 .. it synchronizes well now ... Kudos to the conceptualizer of the workaround :)
It does work
I allowed my m505 battery to drain from 85% for about 4.5 hours. I then charged it for 30 min. and tried the USB cradle and it worked. I just wonder how long before it happens again?
RE: It does work
I'm replying to my own message to warn everyone of the problem I had. As mentioned in my original message, it DID work. However, after syncing I left the palm in the USB cradle to complete my charging from the drain. After a few minutes, I noticed the battery indicator light "fluttering." I removed the unit and did a soft reset. The Palm logo never appeared, only a fuzzy screen. Then the BAD part, my m505 began getting hot and smelled like buring circuits. Well you can figure out the rest. The unit is FRIED! Palm is replacing it, but it's causing me 2-3 days without. The repair location happens to be in my hometown, so I hand delivered it. The technician there said it was the cradle causing the problem.
Fix for m500 USB Problem Works!Carruthers @ 1/7/2002 9:15:30 AM #
Test of "Possible Fix for m500 USB Problem" My M505 developed the USB Sync problem on Saturday afternoon. HotSync via the IR port still worked but was painfully slow. I read about your Fix on Sunday and decided to give it a try. 1.) Performed an IR HotSync.
Similar for the Sony ClieI.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 9:45:32 AM #
I had the same problem with my Clie, suddenly the USB connection quit. I accidentally let the battery run down over the long holiday and viola! it "magically" works again. Sounds familiar; it may be a common issue.
RE: Similar for the Sony ClieI.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 1:48:40 PM #
What's your clie model? 700 series? 300 series?
RE: Similar for the Sony ClieI.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 3:37:40 PM #
I have a N760C that has not been able to sync 3 times since November(once this morning). In all 3 times I have removed the handheld from the cradle while the hotsync was still running. I hit the cancel button on the screen and then hit the hotsync button again to start another sync prior to placing it in the cradle. Once the Clie hits the cradle a hotsync session starts and ends like normal. I am not sure if it would help on an M500/M505 but may be worth a try.
Kirk Similar for the Sony Clie - PEG-N610CI.M. Anonymous @ 1/17/2002 9:37:22 AM #
Last night my 610C stopped syncing. I have changed computers, and after I installed palm desktop on my new computer, I could not sync anymore. Only thing I can think of is, after installing the desktop software, I by mistake connected my palm craddle to the firewire port instead of the USB port. I tried syncing, obviously it did not work. Then I realized that it was connected to the wrong port. I then connected it to the USB port, but it did not sync. I am not sure if connecting to the wrong port first, fried my unit, or it just died and would not work anymore? Hopefully it is is my CLIE which is having problem not the computer. I purchased my CLIE from best buy with the replacement plan so I can take it in and get it replaced with a new unit. Any comments??....
RE: Similar for the Sony ClieJonathan_2k1 @ 3/14/2003 10:32:40 AM #
If I remember correctly the FireWire port can provide power to devices just like USB. Depending on how you plugged in your cradle, you may have connected the FireWire power pins to the USB data pins. Deep fried cradle.
________________________________________ I've been working with computers for 1/4 of my life. Beat that.
It Works
Just wanted to post as a non-anonymous user - It works, at least it appears to have done so. This is my second m505 to have the problem, and I am so excited to avoid Palm's customer support this time around that I am posting only seconds after confirming that the USB function is up and running (and all my data is back, thanks to BackupBuddy). I don't know if this is a long term fix or not, but it definitely works.
RE: It WorksI.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 12:08:53 PM #
I have had my Palm M505 for a month now and I am glad I have been reading about this issue and that a work around is available. I just emailed Palm to ask what their position is on this. I think we all should email palm to find out what is up!
RE: It Worksvincenzosi @ 1/7/2002 10:11:15 PM #
I don't know what the exact official response is, but from what I gather, it's something to the effect of "there is no problem"
It works well!I.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 3:03:11 PM #
Wow, one week fighting with hotlines and support-chats. German tech-support hotline: 'We never had a case so far, where a USB-Cradle didn't work! This should be caused by Windows 98SE, you have to go back to Windows 98. Than she hang up!' They even didn't want to exchange it here in Germany!! Only on palminfocenter.com I found that I'm not alone an there is fact a big issue with the USB-cradle. And thanks to Mr. Omahen and PalmInfocenter.com I don't have to call Palm anymore. This is the second time, Users fix Palms problems (or at least find a workaround). In a similar proceeding like this one, I fixed my battery problem as well!
Thanks again from Germany! Peter
IT WORKED, BUT LATER FRIED MY PALM
You will see this message also in a reply to my own.
As mentioned in my original message, it DID work. However, after syncing I left the palm in the USB cradle to complete my charging from the drain. After a few minutes, I noticed the battery indicator light "fluttering." I removed the unit and did a soft reset. The Palm logo never appeared, only a fuzzy screen. Then the BAD part, my m505 began getting hot and smelled like buring circuits. Well you can figure out the rest. The unit is FRIED! Palm is replacing it, but it's causing me 2-3 days without. The repair location happens to be in my hometown, so I hand delivered it. The technician there said it was the cradle causing the problem. RE: IT WORKED, BUT LATER FRIED MY PALMI.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 6:45:38 PM #
that sounds pretty bad, even more knowing alot of people are having success with this. I own the m500 and have not had any problems YET. I'm saving this page because it seems like I would need it later on.
BTW, Can someone tell me why the m505 has a better chance to have problems syncing than the m500? Is it because its packed in or something? It has full metal? I have no idea.
Anyone know if this affects m125?I.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 3:56:20 PM #
Does anyone nkow if the m125 is also affected by this problem?
RE: Anyone know if this affects m125?
Yup, the m125 is affected, three days after I got it, FAILURE... I'm not pleased, I synced it a few minutes prior to the failure, but still. Luckily, I had picked up a SD card when I bought it... Whew
* * * OW, my BLUETOOTH!!!! I lost my blue tooth..... :(
My visor used to do the same thing ...I.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 4:10:25 PM #
Every once in a while my visor would stop USB hotsyncing and the only way I could fix it was to remove the batteries and let the unit sit for about 30 minutes or so and then when I reinstalled the batteries and reset everything would work fine.
-Eric RE: My visor used to do the same thing ...I.M. Anonymous @ 2/10/2002 10:07:06 PM #
Yup. I have a Visor Deluxe where the USB hotsync was broken for the last
6 months. I took the batteries out for an hour and sure enough I can sync with USB again. (I wish I hadn't wasted $20 on a new USB card!) A friend had the same problem with his Visor Deluxe starting last week. He has exchanged email with Handspring support but they didn't tell him to take the batteries out. Go figure! -Glenn
This Does Work :-) ThanksI.M. Anonymous @ 1/7/2002 4:20:16 PM #
Thanks for the work around. A little too late though; I've already switched to the Clie 610. At least I now have a working 505 too.
Worth the 24 hour waitvincenzosi @ 1/7/2002 10:07:09 PM #
I did a hard reset, did the short cut and left my palm for exactly twenty four hours. It was so dead that only the charging light remained just faintly lit.
I charged it in the cradle for about 5 minutes, and then Hotsynced and sure enough, success! The guy that came up with this is my hero. RE: Worth the 24 hour waitI.M. Anonymous @ 1/9/2002 5:59:53 AM #
Could someone help me, what means the shortcut.1? I'm not able to do that! It is my first handheld .... If I try to do that, I always create new memo. Thanks to All of you for very good work. Petr
Shortcut .1I.M. Anonymous @ 1/9/2002 8:45:39 AM #
You're supposed to create a new memo. It's a convenient piece of (electronic) scratch paper to work on. It will be gone after the power runs out. "Shortcut" is the graffiti character that looks like a lower case script L. Then do a period, then the number 1. Then sit there and watch your Palm do nothing for several hours except use up battery power.
:)I.M. Anonymous @ 1/9/2002 10:40:53 AM #
So, does that mean, that when I write "l.1" my Palm will not go to Auto-off? If Yes, I'm stupid, because my Palm does that. I've thought, that it never run shutdown and stays always on.
Should the Memos look like this? 1. Handheld Basisc Is that correct? Final Word on ShortcutsI.M. Anonymous @ 1/9/2002 10:52:17 AM #
No. You do not make a L in Graffiti by drawing a cursive lower-case L. The Graffiti character looks like an uppercase L. The shortcut character is drawn like a lower-case L in cursive. If that's losing you, just draw a loop with the cross-over at the bottom. The letter L won't appear, you'll get a a small image that looks like the character you just drew. If that still doesn't straighten it out for you, dig out your manual and look up "shortcut".
shortcutI.M. Anonymous @ 1/9/2002 11:12:08 AM #
;) thanks so much! Finally I understand :). Stupid me :(.
It Worked!I.M. Anonymous @ 1/8/2002 8:11:03 AM #
I did the operation yesterday and was able to USB sync in the evening. The guy that figured this out has my greatest thanks. Palm should float him a nice big check and post this solution on their support page. I am awaiting a response from palm. I just sent them an message regarding my USB problem through their Palm Checkup program. Needless to say, when I hear from them, I'll just tell them to $%^%@ and that I found the solution elsewhere.
RE: It Worked!vincenzosi @ 1/8/2002 8:33:54 AM #
I got an e-mail from them that read:
Dear Vincent, We regret that we have not been able to provide a suitable resolution to Thank you for your continued patience regarding this issue. Due to the advanced technical nature of your issue, unfortunately we If you have not received a response within 48 hours (Monday to Friday), (847) 262-7256 We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused, but be assured that Best regards,
One pathetic companyI.M. Anonymous @ 1/8/2002 3:05:53 PM #
Palm is one pathetic company if such a prevalent problem in their FLAGSHIP model, after 8 months or so (yeah, that's when my USB died) comes to be solved by a USER. What the **** are their engineers doing all day?
Even worse, tech support is still acting like they don't know what's going on. Perhaps there is some warehouse, somewhere, with hundreds of Palm m505's being discharged and put back in boxes to be sent as replacement units. I hope they aren't actually opening up these units to repair them. If so, someone should have their head served on a platter. Makes me feel like dumping my stock. RE: One pathetic companyI.M. Anonymous @ 1/11/2002 3:40:42 PM #
dude, you're an idiot.
you are probably one of the guys that calls in all angry about this. if you stay calm and refrain from being a dink, they'd replace your palm with an enhanced unit, and do an advanced exchange for free if you're nice. quit being a *** and RE: One pathetic companyI.M. Anonymous @ 1/11/2002 7:17:07 PM #
I am on m505 number THREE due to Palm's manufacturing defects. I ask you sir, how many more m505's do I have to go through before YOU allow me the courtesy to be angry? You jackazz.
RE: One pathetic companyI.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 9:03:09 PM #
I sympathize with those who are angry with this situation. I had the USB hot sync problem and it was only this group that provided me with an answer.
As for the "enhanced unit", I think that this is misleading and that Palm has a bunch of monkeys discharging problematic 505's that they get from disgruntled customers which are re-packaged and sent back as "enhanced units" to trusting customers. As a stab in the dark, I would guess that Palm is close to going bankrupt and that the release of the 700 series is their last chance at remaining a going concern. I remember reading at least three "quality control problem" articles about Palm in the second half of 2001. They either don't want the negative publicity affecting new sales or maybe they don't have the money to do a proper recall. I was such a Palm devotee that I actually used to get depressed thinking that Palm was anything but a wonderful resource for all mankind. My Vx was a problem free marvel for over two years. When it broke from being dropped, I felt like I had done something sacriligious. My 505 experience changed that. If Palm would have come clean about some manufacturing mistake and possible financial issues that prevented them form doing the right thing, I would have stuck with them. I bought my girlfriend a Clie for her first PDA and, as someone who is considered by his peers to be a PDA geek, I have strongly reccomended to three people to buy anything but a Palm.
hotsync thingI.M. Anonymous @ 1/9/2002 1:19:56 AM #
well, the fix worked for me, I was able to fix my girlfriend's 505, but i hope it breaks again within 30 days so they can send her a new one. I've heard too much about the refurbished crap they're sending out. As for me, it looks like a Clie is in my near future...
RE: hotsync thingI.M. Anonymous @ 1/12/2002 2:24:18 PM #
nope, never mind. forget it. one day later it did a spontaneous hard reset, and then wouldn't sync. I don't think I'm up for this whole multiple returns thing.
Clie T615 is all I have to say.
My m505: The Non-Exception
I'd like to thank EVERYONE for their help and insight about the battery drain hot-fix!
I've had my Palm since day one and have not had a problem since. I've also been reading about all the hotsync problems so many people have been experiencing with their m50x's in the past few months. I used to think to myself that I was one of the few lucky ones! That's when I knew I should've knocked on some wood. As soon as I came home from work yesterday, the hotsync failed. Not only that, I've lost everything through a hard reset because it wouldn't allow me to soft reset (complaining about some Memory Error). Good thing I backed up in the morning, so not much was lost. Thanks again to all, and for PalmInfocenter for keeping us up to date.
It WorkedI.M. Anonymous @ 1/9/2002 2:28:02 PM #
Its is increidible, I didn't know about the Hotsync problem until I saw it here, and then it stopped working. I followed the process and it worked. I really thank the guy who came up with this.
BTW: "what you don't know doesn't hurt you" RE: It WorkedI.M. Anonymous @ 1/9/2002 4:10:50 PM #
Has anyone tried opening up their m505 and disconnecting the battery for a couple of minutes rather than waiting for it to drain?
Disconnecting BatteryI.M. Anonymous @ 1/14/2002 9:57:34 PM #
I opened the back of the case and disconnected the battery for a couple of minutes. After reassembling, I had no problem hot-syncing.
This is the quickest way to fix the problem and eliminates any potential issue with completely draining the battery. I did it with a full battery. Just a suggestion.
Seven months later...
I have two working 505s. My original unit got the sync bug in June. Palm said it was the cradle and offered to send me a new one, but they sent a 505 instead. That was fine, but I still had a 505 that didn't work. I tried the fix this morning, and now have two working 505s! I let the batteries drain overnight, and charged about a half hour before I tried a sync.
Now, can anyone point me to instructions on how to keep the two palms in sync? I'd like my husband to be able to carry the same information I do. RE: Seven months later...I.M. Anonymous @ 1/9/2002 4:37:36 PM #
Beam all the info from one m505 to the other m505. BUT - make sure you first start with TWO DIFFERENT USER NAMES for each m505. You should be good to go. As far as I know, you need 2 users names and you can't continuously sync to the same Desktop User Name.
RE: Seven months later...I.M. Anonymous @ 1/9/2002 5:31:39 PM #
I've been beaming the info (during the time I couldn't sync.) But it is very time consuming. I'd like to find a program that would let me set up a profile and then do a "one-touch" IR sync between the two machines. I was hoping for a easier solution now that I can sync again.
RE: Seven months later...I.M. Anonymous @ 1/9/2002 5:44:29 PM #
Try WeSync 1.52
http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=5702
FULLY TESTED FIX???I.M. Anonymous @ 1/9/2002 6:03:27 PM #
I see that alot of people have been using the fix of draining the palm completely to fix the USB issue. Firstly I would like to say that the fix probably works because of the fact that the users are getting rid of the ESB(electro-static-discharge). This is not new for the palm handheld(there were cases in the past where people's motherboards were fried because of ESD. I would think that this is probably not a pedrmanent fix for the issue(if it is in fact caused by ESD) Palm is currently offering "enhanced" unitsa for customers that suffer from this problem. Also I see that alot of people are saying that this supposed fix is frying the battery on the handhelds. Although this seems like a logical work around. I would dissagree that this is any sort of permanent fix.
RE: FULLY TESTED FIX???I.M. Anonymous @ 1/10/2002 10:59:09 AM #
Once a component is damaged by ESD, no amount of draining the battery and recharging
it will ever fix it. If 'resetting' the unit using this method fixes the problem, then the USB circuit is NOT fried. It's more likely a software problem. I have a Palm m505. Every once in a while, after performing a hot sync, the 'beam recieve' option gets set on. I suspect that there are bugs in Palm OS 4.0 causing both of these problems. RE: FULLY TESTED FIX???
Hmmmm....Visor, Palm 505(including mine) and Sony Clie have this problem? Anyone else think this is a Palm OS 4.0 problem? Why doesn't palm release a patch that we can flash to fix the thing?
"Success in life is not measured by what you have...but by what you gave up to get it" RE: FULLY TESTED FIX???I.M. Anonymous @ 2/22/2002 2:51:19 PM #
Now this is interesting, I have had this problem earlier and I did the FIX. I had a re-occurence just now (after three concecutive hotsynchs)and was on my way to doing the FIX. But I checked out the beam receive and it was on, I know it had been off because it was the way I fixed a refusal to hotsynch by infrared on my laptop. So I turned the beam receive off and lo and behold the usb hotsynch is fine again.
I tried this fix but my hotsync manager is in another lang.
Please help, This is my second 505 in four months and somehow within the last two months my hotsync manager is in another language. When I go to sync a yellow triangle warning pop up says:
"Impossibile aprire la porta Verificare che sia disponibile e apportare le modifiche desiderate in Imposta Manager HotSync."?? I have tried the possible fix and to no aveil, and have spoken to palm support but they just tell me to uninstall then reinstall desktop 401 which I've done a billion times. I do notice that you are suppose to right click on the hotsync icon and it should have the usb port availabe to check, but mine doesn't it only has local (or in my case "locale") . I dont think its my usb ports because I have a digital camcorder and it can sync with either port. And the wierd thing about it is I can go to my brothers house (30 mins away) and usb hotsync with no problems. I feel like Im stuck. Any suggestions or help would greatly be appreciated. Sincerely, Brian C What I finally didI.M. Anonymous @ 2/2/2002 1:03:00 PM #
This is what I did after what happened to me after I had this problem. The only way to fix the problem was a did a complete fdisk to my computer then loaded all my programs back on. And finally I can hotsync again.
m505 #3 DIED tonightI.M. Anonymous @ 1/11/2002 10:46:22 PM #
m505 #1 - May 2001 - Nov 2001 - Fast/HOT Discharge Battery Death - Made in USA m505 #2 - Nov 2001 to Dec 2001 - Fast/HOT Discharge Battery Death - Made in Hungary m505 #3 - Dec 2001 - Jan 2002 - Sudden Crash - then OFF Screen - Can't Power Back up - Made in Hungary I tried hard, soft, warm, in-cradle, out-cradle resets on all of these all to no avail. I would get a Clie 760 if I had USB support, but I don't so it looks like I have to go for m505 #4. This is really getting ridiculous.
It worked perfectly well with my m505I.M. Anonymous @ 1/12/2002 11:30:48 AM #
I had no problem to use that fix. Thanks to Mr Omahen !
Denis Guérineau
shortcut signI.M. Anonymous @ 1/14/2002 5:44:45 PM #
How do I get this to work??? Please help I can not sync and it is starting to piss me off
I tried and it DIDN'T worked!!!I.M. Anonymous @ 1/15/2002 8:54:43 AM #
I tried and it DIDN'T worked!!!
I started the procedure sunday at 5.00 pm and i left the palm discharching till monday 22.00 pm. Then i started to charge, i tried after half an hour to turn it on, but nothing. I waited for an hour... Still nothing. After two hours... The same. I left it on the cradle all night and in the morning... Guess? Well, now i don't know what to do! Please help me! I don't want to be the only one who didn't succeed in it! Stefano RE: I tried and it DIDN'T worked!!!I.M. Anonymous @ 2/14/2002 6:01:15 PM #
Try leaving it in the cradle and pressing the Reset button?
Quicker way...
Someone else suggested trying to disconnect the battery to see if that works. I've had the dreaded USB problem for about a week now, so I decided to try that out. I took my case apart and disconnected the battery for about 30 minutes (I got sidetracked...a couple of minutes would've completely discharged the RAM and had the effect). After reassembling, I had no problem hot-syncing.
I happen to have an SD card, so I did a backup first of course since I lost everything when I unplugged the battery. This seems to be the quickest way to fix the problem and you don't have to worry about damaging your battery. I'm sure I read somewhere that deep discharging of these batteries was not good for their health. With this method, you don't have to worry about that...but you do have to take the unit apart. RE: Quicker way...I.M. Anonymous @ 1/18/2002 5:37:54 PM #
I even tried to take it apart to unplug the battery, but, after that i unscrewed i don't manage to remove the cover, is there a particular way to do it ?
RE: Quicker way...
How did you unscrew the back, I couldn't find an alan wrench/hex wrench small enough to fit the screws?Trying to use a mini screwdriver resulted in some minor stripping of the screw head.
(sorry tried to post as a new user) RE: Quicker way...
You need a T6 screwdriver. Some models require a T5 (which is even smaller) from what I understand. The set I had was bought at Home Depot and didn't cost very much.
After removing the four screws, you have to very gently pry apart the casing. I used a very flat tiny screwdriver and started near the SD slot working my way around the unit. Be careful if you're going to try this since you could scratch the case pretty easily. Also realise that your warranty is now potentially void. RE: Quicker way... How to get the backing offI.M. Anonymous @ 2/26/2002 12:59:09 PM #
Yes, removing the batter plug works!
After removing the 4 torx screws, use a small wide flat head Jeweler's screw driver to "pop" off the silver backing. Just slide the flat head in between the the black plastic "middle" frame and teh backing, then rotate the flat head screw driver slightly. You will hear a click and the backing will lift. If I remeber correctly, there are 3 clips on each side of the backing and one on top of the device. You may want to wear a static cuff when doing this! Menard's (USA) has a great Torx / Jeweler screw set in a blue nylon case for under $20. - Tom Denton- Denton Software Group www.dentonsoftware.com
This fix worked for me!!!I.M. Anonymous @ 1/19/2002 10:44:14 AM #
I got my new m505 right before Xmas (merry christmas to me) syncs went fine till last friday night...then nothing!!!
Drained the battery Friday night recharged Saturday morning now working fine (thank you BackupBuddy)and THANK YOU Ales!!!
Before You Risk Frying Your Battery
I use an m500 and I thought that I had this very same hotsync problem. The PDA stopped hotsyncing inexplicably. I debated what to do for a month. I was considering trying the fix posted here, but was nervous about deep discharging the batteries because of possible future battery life issues and the remote possibility of frying the battery altogether.
I did quite a bit of research on the web before attempting any fix and am wondering how many other people who think they have a defective PDA actually have a software issue involving a corrupted registry. In failing to hotsync, I kept getting a hotsync error 8009. I found this fix posted on the web -- which helps you correct a corrupted registry on your desktop -- and am now back in business. Data, batteries, everything intact!
Did not work for m500I.M. Anonymous @ 1/21/2002 5:58:46 AM #
This procedure did not work for my palm m500. The last successful sync with my desktop-computer was on dec. 21th. So my workpad is out of order for a whole month! The only thing the palm-hotline tells me is to use this fix. I'm really annoyed about the policy of palm not to repair or exchange the defective units. And the tip to sync via serial-interface is not really useful as the unit is sold with the usb-cradle, and a serial-cable isn't available in vienna. What can I do?
The ShCut .1 sequencePeacockHunter @ 1/21/2002 11:15:44 AM #
For those having problems getting the reset done right:
- The Shcut sign looks and is written like the greek sign alpha. It is resembling the anti-AIDS-campaign tie. - If the magic sequence doesn't work the first time, try again and all you get is the sequence replaced by [Lithium Ion] (after timeout it shuts down as usual), try sequencing it again, immediately.
Similar Problem - Battery Drains - Can Someone Help?I.M. Anonymous @ 1/22/2002 5:09:40 AM #
I don't have a problem with not being able to hotsync, but a Google search on "battery drain problem Palm" led me to this discussion. You people seem really knowledgeable, so perhaps someone can anyone help me? I'm on my second Palm m500; my first one had the same problem and Palm replaced it. The problem is that virtually overnight, the battery drains to nothing and I can't turn the unit on. Palm says it's third-party software, and I've tried uninstalling everything extra but with no success. I can't find any information on this problem or what might be causing it or what I can do.
RE: Similar Problem - Battery Drains - Can Someone Help?I.M. Anonymous @ 1/22/2002 5:26:28 AM #
Just me again. I should add that I've tried the soft-reset in the cradle routine, too. This works for a few days, then the problem returns and the battery is dead dead dead.
Never Mind! - Battery Drains - Can Someone Help?I.M. Anonymous @ 1/22/2002 5:36:11 AM #
(It's early...) I found the appropriate thread for my problem by doing a search of the Forums on this website, so I should be able to resolve my problem. You guys are awesome!
Jennifer RE: Similar Problem - Battery Drains - Can Someone Help?I.M. Anonymous @ 1/23/2002 7:07:11 AM #
i got the same problem. unfortunately i cannmot seem to find the solution which u thank everyone for. could u possibly enlighten me in my battery-drained, dark world of pain. thx.
marc
USB ProblemI.M. Anonymous @ 1/22/2002 9:49:18 AM #
It might even have a complete different cause.
See the page below.
Worked for me tooI.M. Anonymous @ 1/22/2002 12:24:20 PM #
I have been trying to get Palm to respond to my support request for over a month. This is my second M505 with the same problem. I am so happy that this fix solved my problem. I didn't believe it would, but I'm glad I tried it.
RE: Worked for me tooI.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 10:43:32 AM #
Somewhere "Ed" (I believe) requested us to report on whether the Slovenian solution worked for us (can't find the thread now). For me it did:
Started emptying m500 battery 14:40; at 20:30 screen still lit; at 02:30 only power button still dimly lit; placed in recharge cradle 09:10, probably not correctly & probably started recharging only when I adjusted it at 14:00; starting using it including SUCCESSFUL HotSynch on USB at 14:50! Again, thanks to an expert from a small country for the fix. Gabriel Barta, Geneva (Switzerland), gb@iec.ch.
drain the batteryI.M. Anonymous @ 1/23/2002 6:20:31 AM #
My M505 stopped hotsyncing about 2 weeks ago. It took me a while before I figured out which device caused the problem (my coputer, cable, cradle, palm). When I knew for sure that the Palm was the problem I contacted the Palm Helpdesk here in the Netherlands and they advised me to go this site and follow that procedure!!
And it worked. Thank you Ed! All systems are hotsyncing again except for one important item; "the date book" does not hotsync. Memo, To Do, Address, the whole works synchronises but no date book, and that is what it is all about!! I guess a complete uninstall/install procedure of the desktop software should do the trick. Lum RE: drain the battery
Hi
The solution with draining the battery did work for me too. Unfortunately HotSync does not continue when it says "Synchronizing Date Book". It looks as if it would keep synchronizing, but I left it work over night and in the morning it was still in the same state. Has anyone solved such a problem? How?
Static is Possible CauseI.M. Anonymous @ 1/26/2002 1:01:38 AM #
I live in Colorado, where static electricity really builds up. I am on my third m505, until I wised up. Now, before I reach for my cradled Palm, and before cradling it, I touch my lamp, get a good shock, and know I just saved that jolt from going through those USP chips.
RE: Static is Possible CauseI.M. Anonymous @ 2/14/2002 5:58:50 PM #
It's almost like you're going to have to wear a ESD grounding strap before doing anything with your Palm...
Worked!..I.M. Anonymous @ 1/26/2002 10:29:41 PM #
Hi all. Thanks a bunch for all the information posted here..
Same story: My WorkPad quit on me on HotSync. Mr. Omahen's fix worked just fine. I followed Details 6 hours to drain the battery (turned off completely) Thanks thanks thanks
Fix worked, for nowI.M. Anonymous @ 1/28/2002 1:00:05 PM #
I used Omahen's fix and this morning was able to HotSync successfully. My screen appeared fine, nothing appeared unusual. However, I don't know how long this fix will last. What is the consensus as to whether to go ahead with an exchange? What are the costs incurred by waiting 30/60/90 days from purchase? Please post.
P. L. From BostonI.M. Anonymous @ 1/31/2002 6:10:34 PM #
Hello!
Thank you guys so much! My m500 did the same thing and I was worried. I tried so many things then came across the article. It worked. I can tell you that I tried HotSyncing at various times during the trial--it ONLY worked after I let the battery totally drain. I am so happy now. BUT, I am going to buy a Handspring because I can't trust this baby any more. Too bad. Thank you so much!
Yup, worked....I.M. Anonymous @ 2/3/2002 5:40:25 PM #
Drained for about 20hrs. The little faint green glow was still on the power button but I figured what the heck. USB synced without issue and all the data was back.
First began just after a "fatal error". I really thought I was hosed. Thank you all.
Can't make it unresponsiveI.M. Anonymous @ 2/5/2002 3:21:00 AM #
I cannot make my m500 unresponsive, any ideas? I am preety sure i am doing everything right, make the shortcut sign.. make a point . and then write 1 am i doing something wrong maybe? cant be... can anyone help? RE: Can't make it unresponsiveI.M. Anonymous @ 2/5/2002 1:58:31 PM #
you see the sign in the left upper corner, looking like a bow tie? try to do the "." twice before writing the 1. it worked for me (as did the whole thing, thanks to slovenia!) good luck, mj RE: Can't make it unresponsiveI.M. Anonymous @ 2/14/2002 5:55:51 PM #
Did you make sure to do the hard reset first? That is: hold down the power button, press in the Reset button on the back WHILE holding the power button, wait until the logo screen comes up, and THEN release the power button, then press Up for "Yes, erase all data"?
I didn't do this the first time around and the shortcut-.-1 didn't work.
fix worked on my m500 and two cradlesI.M. Anonymous @ 2/5/2002 11:06:37 AM #
I have two cradles, one at my computer and one at my secretary's. After 7 months of normal function, my palm suddenly would not sync on either, so I knew it was a problem with the Palm. Soft, warm and hard resets did nothing, nor did reinstalling software, and a bit of other finagling (sp?). After draining the battery dead overnight, and charging for 20 minutes, I synced normally on both computers. Hurray! Will this last, anyone? RE: fix worked on my m500 and two cradlesI.M. Anonymous @ 3/26/2002 4:09:24 AM #
I had the same problem on my M500. I did the hard reset and battery drain procedure (about 36 hours before the light went out). I recharged and synced. It worked........for one day. ONE day: on day next the same problem: no hot syncs via USB cradle.
I remember that I touched the M500 at one time on the day it DID work and got a static shock. nevertheless it remained working the next few hours so I thought it was not a matter of concern. It was though. It may have to do with clothing (wearing fleece?), and of course during winter time there is the central heating causing dry air.
The Mobile Phone is the cause ...I.M. Anonymous @ 2/9/2002 1:29:10 PM #
I have been having problems with my USB and have noticed that they seem to occur when I stick my mobile (Ericsson SH888) and the my Plam M505 in the same pocket. It just hot me when my Palm failed to synch for a third time! I have been though the exchange route... but have found a double or triple complete reset also works! UK Palm user
Need help with my M505I.M. Anonymous @ 2/12/2002 8:41:23 AM #
I am another very happy user of my M505. Not really.
It just stopped syncing 2 weeks ago. Delt with Palm customer support....they are terrible. I was told last week my replacement palm would ship, now it is "possibly" this week. Palm Inc should be ashamed of their "support" policies they have in place. Ok, off the soap box. I tried to to this fix. It does sync....but now I have a totally blank screen with no Icons. I can tap, and seems like there is something under there. I have tried to sync, it did. A soft and hard reset...but still no screen.... Any suggestions. I wouldnt mind fixing it asap. Considering who knows when Palm will actually ship my replacement. Thanks
I tired it and it works! It is sync'ing again but...I.M. Anonymous @ 2/12/2002 9:10:56 PM #
restoring it is no fun. I am using CardBackup and after the unit is fully charged, I copied the CardBackup from my SD Card to memory and when I try to run it, I get a fatal error. I kept getting this error until I do a hot reset on the unit.
If this was not frustrating enough, I sent the following to Palm's Tech Support, and their reply is to dock/undock with the PC off! If you can imgine doing that 3 - 5 times a day! You would think they hire people who uses the Palm daily! And if that does not work, they advise me to uninstall and install Palm Desktop - like I want to do this every time the unit chokes! I got the email if anyone wants a copy of it. You can reach me at seow@charter.net. Also has anyone consider filing a class action suit on Palm? I am a registered use and I never get any notice about this defect. |
I haven't noticed a problem with the battery since the drain, (only one day, however).