[ozzie300]

MS ActiveSync has stopped "finding" my PDA - an iPAQ 4705. HP tech help has been of no help, and MS KB is also of no help.

I have tried a number of things and nothing as worked - uninstalled and re-installed MS Active Sync v 3.8.0 (build 5004); activated Bluetooth to circumvent the inability to USB sync, and a few other minor things. None of the steps I have taken has allowed my laptop to "find" the 4705. Actually trying to connect via Bluetooth "woke up" the ActiveSync window - the wheel turned green and "connecting" popped up, only to stop with a device not found message. And there is nothing I can do with the ActiveSync window since everything is grayed out except "Get Connected" and "Connection Settings."

Everything was working fine until it wasn't. I suspect I might have deleted something from the iPaq itself. Is this possible? I just began using MemoryMaid Quickclean and that might have had me delete a vital dll. I seem to recall there was an ActiveSync icon IN the PDA but that has disappeared. What is really hurting is not so much the inability to sync with Outlook but the impossibility of installing or updating anything. Come to think of it - how does one re-install Pocket Windows in a PDA if Active Sync is not working?

A call to HP support asked me to delete the existing partnership - which I did. I think that made matters worse. I have soft reset the PDA a number of times but have yet to do a full hot reset in fear of what I might lose. I am using the PDA primarily to sync up Outlook and as a flying GPS in conjunction with a bluetooth GPS receiver. (Hence the reason for opening up as much memory as possible - I literally rely on this PDA for my safety when flying.)

Otherwise the PDA is working normally - it can find my wi-fi network and connect to the Internet, just not hot sync with my laptop - by the way - i have tried two different connections - the cradle and a portable USB sync cable.

Please help! I never thought a PDA would come to be so important. Any suggestions, even crazy ones, will be most appreciated. Thank you.

P.S. Using a Sony VAIO VGN-S380P with Widows XP Pro SP2

[DoubleHelix]

The operating system on a PDA resides in ROM. There's no reinstalling. A hard reset is the equivalent of reinstalling the OS. You'll lose all data and programs on the device. It will be returned to the way it was when you took it out of the box.

If you've tried everything else, that may be your only option left.

[ozzie300]

And it was the only option left and it worked. All is back to normal.

Thank you.