Reliable backup for contacts and calendar?

[Keef]

Does anyone know of a reliable, trustworthy way of backing up Pocket PC (Windows Mobile) calendars, contacts and files?

I've been trying to use ActiveSync and its later incarnation (Windows Mobile Device Center) for years, and have had much grief with them all that time. This evening, WMDC caused me to say many rude words. That process is off the agenda for Keef, for evermore!

There are two major issues:

1. Calendar Sync seems to like duplicating entries and reinstating old appointments or times/places. It's a bit confusing to find several copies of the same entry, and I was once deeply embarrassed when it removed an appointment and substituted an older one. This evening, I sat for about three hours, checking that the diary entries "looked right" while deleting duplicate and obsolete entries that it had stuffed back in.

2. Contacts and files disappear without warning. After the Win 7 crash of last Monday (now fixed - see separate thread) I thought I should back up the Phone, which is also my diary, contacts list, and much more. I plugged it in to the laptop, which has been "master backup" for a while. It proceeded to delete every contact from my address book older than last Sunday. My list of several hundred people is now a list of six. It was about to start on files when I saw what it was up to, and pulled out the USB cable. It had already screwed up the diary - see 1!

I've lost a couple of pictures but I don't think any other important files have gone. But my catalogue of names, addresses and other contact stuff is all gone :( It doesn't even keep an "undo" file against errors: stuff is zapped with no further recourse. There was a backup - it was on the laptop prior to the crash.

I'm hoping that when I get back to Essex, I'll find that the copy on the desktop isn't too old and I haven't lost too many. (I synch from laptop to desktop once in a while, but haven't done for some weeks). The VPN is, of course, not working so that's a job for next week when I get back home.

No way am I ever going to trust ActiveSync again. What I'm looking for is a package that will copy everything off the phone and keep it safe - and maybe allow me to restore it to the phone when i ask it. In the days of the Psion, that was easy. I had nary a hiccup with that.

I've set up a Google calendar, which has the option of "one way only" calendar sync. If I can find a way to use that between the phone and Google, without Windows messing with the stuff on the way past, that will do the calendar bit - I think.

Has anyone any recommendations or warnings about suitable PC-based software?

[Coconutty]

I have an HP Ipaq hw6915 and found the following on the HP web site - I am not "promoting" them in any way, and haven't used them ( yet ) but they appear to be worth a look, and can back up / restore your data to / from a memory card installed in your device if you have that facility. :ok:

( BTW what PDA is it ? - Might help others provide suggestions ? )

SPB Back Up : SPB Backup Products SPB Software (http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/backup/)

Sprite Back Up : Sprite Software - Full Edition (http://www.spritesoftware.com/products/sprite-backup/full-edition)

Let us know how you get on :)

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/coconut11/Coconutty.jpg

[bnt]

If you're using Outlook, there are a couple of things you can do: save the data to files as a backup, and sync to Google. Last time I tried the Google Calendar Sync (http://www.google.com/support/calendar/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=89955) program, it was 2-way, but Calendar only, not Contacts.

You don't say what phone it is, but if it's a Windows Mobile phone that supports Exchange Server, you can sync it with Google (Calendar & Contacts) directly without going via the PC at all. The Contacts are added as Gmail contacts. Details are here (http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/topic.py?hl=en&topic=14299). This is what I do, now I don't run Windows any more: there have been a couple of hiccups, requiring me to delete and re-establish the connection, but no data loss.

[Keef]

It's an O2 XDA Ignito, which is an HTC Touch Diamond in a stronger (less placcy) housing. It runs Windows Mobile. I use "Pocket Informant" as the calendar and contacts package - I like that very much: it has some good features, such as colour for different categories of diary event.

I've unscrambled the diary, and I think it's all OK. When I get back to Essex I'll check the "common" items against M's kitchen calendar to be sure.

The SMS facility on the phone stores the name (where known) and number for every message sent or received, so I've recovered a load of names/numbers from there. The call log on the phone bit only records the number, not the name.

I searched the web, and found lots of Forums with folks shouting angrily about ActiveSync and its successor dumping all their contacts details. It's a well-known fact (I now learn!) that it will eagerly delete everything on your mobile device. Several folks had lost their entire business contacts directory - usually after a glitch on their PC that then synchronised their mobile with the (empty) directory on the PC. The instruction to treat the mobile as "master" seems not to work. There was talk of a class action lawsuit against Microsoft, but I don't see that working.

The gruesome truth is that once it's zapped your contacts list, there's no way back unless you have a backup somewhere else.

The consensus of those bitten was: first, NEVER user ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Device Center, and: second, back up with PIM Backup v2.5 (freeware).

I duly downloaded that and saved a backup. I'm not brave enough to test it out by deleting and restoring, but reading it with various text editors and Excel, it seems to have everything there. I could recover contacts from it with no problem; dates are stored in a format that Notepad and Excel don't recognise but maybe the Calendar utility will. I may find out some day.