Palm Pilot PDA help needed!

[leosmommy]

Does anyone know anything about palm pilots? I'm having trouble hotsynching mine with my computer, and I need to load stuff onto it for school. Thanks!

[chelko]

I hope this is not too late.

I assume you've used this with your computer before?

Are you getting any messages on the computer when you push the sync button, or just on the PDA?

Is the hotsync manager program running?
Is the cradle connected to the computer (not loose)?
Check the com port, if you (or anyone else) has changed anything or added anything to the computer, this may have moved.

[leosmommy]

halfway into the hotsynch in says "hotsync operation was interrupted. some of your data was not backed up."

But i don't do anything to interrupt it! I've been chatting with the palm support people online for days now, and they tell me that nothing is wrong with the palm. i'll try them again.

I wouldn't care but i am required to load this stuff on my pda for school. my palm is old...it's an m500, but it was all we could afford. we don't have the money to go buy a new one, we can't even pay all of our bills this month. :-(

hopefully it's not broken beyond repair.

[chelko]

Sounds like it might be full. Can you delete some stuff?

Go to the home menu, and touch the drop down menu icon. If you select delete, it should give you a list of everything loaded (non system) on there, as well as tell you how much available memory you have left.

[leosmommy]

there are hundreds of MBs on the card left, and I can't delete anything from the palm because it's all basic stuff. I talked to a palm support person via chat and he said that it's because my programs are in .pdb form and they need to be in .prc form. So i'm going to call the company that I bought them from and where I originally downloaded them and hopefully they can help.

[chelko]

That seems a little odd. My understanding is that .pdb are database files that just need an appropriate reader. I read ebooks on mine and convert .lit files to .pdb files and read them with eReader.

Are you trying to load data files, or actual programs?

Again, even if you don't have the appropriate reader, the hotsync should likely load them, but you just can't read them.

[leosmommy]

thank you so much for your help btw! they are programs for my nursing school, a davis drug guide and labs/diagnostics thing.

[leosmommy]

so I'm digging around in my palm to see what memory is left...and when I hit the menu icon, then info, the programs i want are listed as being on the palm, but i can't actually find them/access them...how do I find them?

i hate this dumb thing...i'd smash it but my school requires that i have it. :-(

[chelko]

Have you contacted the company you bought the files from yet?

Ok, I searched around and I think the problem is you need a reader (a .prc file) to read your data files (the .pdb files). You should be able to find .prc viewers free online, but your program may need searching capabilities that the basic ones don't provide. I would try to download a free one, see if it lets you view it, then look for one that will have the capabilities you need.

[chelko]

Originally Posted by leosmommy

so I'm digging around in my palm to see what memory is left...and when I hit the menu icon, then info, the programs i want are listed as being on the palm, but i can't actually find them/access them...how do I find them?

i hate this dumb thing...i'd smash it but my school requires that i have it. :-(

Yours is a little different than mine.

Try this:
Tap Applications
Tap Menu
Tap App
Tap Info
Tap Size

From here.

Ok, I need to finish reading everything before I reply. Yeah, you need a application to open your files. Try what I wrote in the previous post.

[chelko]

I've got to run out for a while, but I'll check back tonight if you are still having problems.

Good Luck!

[leosmommy]

I did it! I was playing around, clearing out my memory card, loading it up, re-downloading and syncing about 10 times...and it's on there! thank you for helping me!!!

gonna go have a beer to celebrate! DS must think I'm nuts, we just danced and spun around for 5 minutes...he's only 9 months, lol.

thanks again!!

[chelko]

Glad you got it working!