Vario II - Active Sync Issues

[Guest Michael 1999]

My vario II simply refuses to connect with my desktop. It was fine when I got the phone, but has become progressively worse. Now I have to re-start the phone and desktop maybe 10 times before I get lucky. It's hopeless!!

I have read some other threads and tried the suggestions but to no avail. I have downloaded active sync 4.5 (beta) but it is just as unreliable. When the phone does manage to connect, it takes an age to synchronise.

Does anyone have any new ideas to sort this?

My various orange SPV's used to connect straightaway, never an issue.

Yes this is a great device in many ways. However, the software on it is full of glitches and it could hardly be called reliable. Are T-mobile likely to make available an updated rom in the near future?

Thanks

[Guest marisa4755]

You could try ActiveTweak:

http://pocketpcapps.net/activetweak.aspx

this is a free application. I was having the same trouble as you, and this sorted it out. When having probs, I just use the Running AS tab, stop AS, then restart AS and it works like a charm.

Also, have you disabled advanced network functionality?

(start/settings/connections/USB to PC) This helps too.

[Guest sabrowse]

Thanks for this tip, I'm going to try this, as like the first poster I have had nothing but problems with ActiveSync and my Vario II. I am on my 4th Vario and none have them have maintained a stable connection with activesync, having disabled advanced USB and tried all different versions of ActiveSync up to the 4.5 Beta. I've just given up and left it to Sync over GPRS.

As as side note the Vaio II seems very unstable...much more so than the M500 and M600 I had before. This one, my 4th Vario II, is no better, I have to soft reset it every day or two. Sometimes it hangs when a second call comes in (it just can't pick it up when you hit 'answer' and instead hangs the phone). Sometimes, and it does this the most, it doesnt turn the screen on when you press the power button..the lights flash but you cant get the screen to come on. Various other intermittent glitches that cause it to hang. Do many other users have these problems?

[Guest jimbouk]

I cant talk for the T rom on the Vario 2 but the hermes itself seems to be pretty damn reliable. Users with problems usually find its a third party app or a weird setting that is causing the problems.

[Guest marisa4755]

This is my 4th device, and I would say that there's not been much to choose between them in terms of stability really. With each 'disaster' or irritating sets of resets I've found that this is normally down to 3rd party software.

Each time these things happen, I run my device for a few days 'naked' without adding anything, and everything works really fast and really well. But the reason we buy these devices is for all that lovely software, and so, bit by bit, I start putting things on, and eventually things go pear shaped again.

The most important thing I've learnt is to back up, and keep an assortment of backups going back over a few weeks.

The second is to keep a diary of what I install and when, and if a problem starts and how etc.

It's amazing that sometimes when things start acting up, you don't think you've done anything, but then you look at this diary, and realise that you updated to a new version of something, or just tried something briefly and then immediately uninstalled as you didn't like it. Somehow it's easy for these to skip your memory.

Another thing I've learnt is to look at the developer as much as at the software. Some are really great at sorting stuff out. Some never even bother to acknowledge receipt of your email. I never buy from these again, however attractive the application might seem.

Did you keep the t-mobile stuff on your vario?

[Guest sabrowse]

Not sure what you mean about the T mobile stuff - I havent deleted anything from the original install so I guess yes. Would it be better if I removed it..if so what and how?

Regards other programs, I hardly add anything, just in case. At the moment I have batti, SkyPe 2.1 and fit4cat tweaker only, and I'm sure none of these cause any problems as Ive hard reset quite a number of times at previous lockup's (on different phones) too, just to see if lockups occur on clean installs and sure enough they do. Ive even had one lockup within an hour of receiving it as a replacement. I think Activesync (which i cant get working and have now removed from my desktop) had something to do with it.

These devices are great for what they offer, but they seem so darn unreliable when you want to use any of their enhanced functionality..its quite exasperating! I love loading it up with extra's but I need it to be a phone first, and I can't seem to get it to be one reliably. The lockup's reported earlier in the thread, with TMob not diverted the seemingly hung phone to voicemail, are rather worrying. I might try the diary idea, but Ive so little installed and change so little I'm not sure what it would show up.

I travel a fair bit and dont seem to have lockups abroad, even where there's 3G coverage, and I have had alot here in the UK when moving around, mostly from GPRS to 3G cells (I live in one), so I might try turning the 3G off and checking reliability as someone suggested earlier.

[Guest sabrowse]

Sorry, it was another post that was referring to the phone locking up (but flashing the green 'ok' light) and callers being told they had the incorrect number (not even being diverted to answerphone). Must have had it on my mind!

[Guest marisa4755]

No, I have all the original t-mobile stuff on mine, I was just trying to pinpoint why your device won't operate as it should, while mine does.

I understand exactly what you mean re having to have a 100% reliable phone, and I still think these devices are pda 1st and phone 2nd. For me that's ok.

I know that every time I hard reset my device, and load up from scratch (not using a backup), the phone and sms function seems to take a while (say 8 hours) to settle down. I have heard that some people it takes 1 day or so.

regarding what you have installed I have heard of problems with batti. Don't know about Skype as I don't use that, also, I find that tweaks sometimes have unexpected effects, and have heard that some tweaks do affect activesync eg moving databases and other stuff to storage card.

Did you try the Activetweak. Funnily enough, I used it frequently in the first few days, and now never need to use it recently.

Anyway, good luck hope that things improve for you.

[Guest sabrowse]

The phone v pda question has always been a tough one for me...I really need it to be a phone 1st and pda 2nd unlike you, but so far have lived with the few, more minor, problems Ive had with the M600, M500 and various others further back.

But the VII is pushing the limit for me, I have to reset so many times. I havent tried the avtivetweak yet, got sidetracked today at work but will have a go tomorrow. If I can sort out this activesync problem, and one a number of us are having where the phone appears alive but is actually disconnected from the network I'll be a happy chappy!

Cheers Marisa, I'll see about the activetweak tomorrow and let you know.

[Guest Michael 1999]

You could try ActiveTweak:

http://pocketpcapps.net/activetweak.aspx

this is a free application. I was having the same trouble as you, and this sorted it out. When having probs, I just use the Running AS tab, stop AS, then restart AS and it works like a charm.

Also, have you disabled advanced network functionality?

(start/settings/connections/USB to PC) This helps too.

thanks i have tried this and every other suggestion I cld find but no luck, it just won't connect. so after just 6 weeks, i've done a hard re-set. lo and behold, active sync now works straight away and it's so much quicker.

I am going to install the bare minimum of programs on it and hopefully it will keep working. this is hardly ideal though.

i'm really disappointed with how unreliable this device is.

[Guest Rob.P]

I'm not entirely sure it's all down to the device. I have a great loathing for Activesync and Bluetooth on all WM devices, right back to the days of the very first SPV.

Pretty much every device I've had, the Activesync software degrades itself to the point where the only thing I could do to fix it was a hard reset. I'm now in the habit of getting a device and loading some basic/essential trouble free software on it and backing it up/making an image for when AS has a hissy fit.

Thing is I could cope with other bits of software on the device throwing a spaz but AS and BT, to me, are 2 of the most important and well used features of WM devices. Well done MS for developing the WM OS and I know it one of the departments that makes a loss, but please for the love of what ever you worship that is holy, SORT OUT AS AND BT!

(extremely tired, rant over with now).

[Guest mikeupd]

thanks i have tried this and every other suggestion I cld find but no luck, it just won't connect. so after just 6 weeks, i've done a hard re-set. lo and behold, active sync now works straight away and it's so much quicker.

I am going to install the bare minimum of programs on it and hopefully it will keep working. this is hardly ideal though.

i'm really disappointed with how unreliable this device is.

[Guest sabrowse]

I'm not entirely sure it's all down to the device. I have a great loathing for Activesync and Bluetooth on all WM devices, right back to the days of the very first SPV.

Pretty much every device I've had, the Activesync software degrades itself to the point where the only thing I could do to fix it was a hard reset. I'm now in the habit of getting a device and loading some basic/essential trouble free software on it and backing it up/making an image for when AS has a hissy fit.

Thing is I could cope with other bits of software on the device throwing a spaz but AS and BT, to me, are 2 of the most important and well used features of WM devices. Well done MS for developing the WM OS and I know it one of the departments that makes a loss, but please for the love of what ever you worship that is holy, SORT OUT AS AND BT!

(extremely tired, rant over with now).

Summed up exactly how I feel.

Though I've hard reset all my VII's once AS takes a dump and sometimes I go one sync out of it before the damned thing played up again. In the end I gave up, just let it sync the important stuff over 2G/3G and accepted I cant sync Notes/Files etc....shame AS doesnt sync those over 2G/3G, if they did I could dump AS altogether.

As I posted on another thread, the lockups and AS problems are just too much for me, I think its time to ditch this phone.