Palmcricket Frequently Asked Questions

  Hotsynch doesn't work on Windows Vista or Windows 7  

 

The original Palm Hotsync USB drivers FAIL on all 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7. Neither HP (who now own what used to be Palm Inc) nor Microsoft have come up with a fix. Fortunately, there is a very easy solution. Aceeca, a New Zealand company which manufactures devices that operate on PalmOs, recently created a new 64-bit USB driver which can be downloaded free of charge from here:

64 bit USB Windows Driver for Palm/Garnet OS

Installation instructions are provided with the download. This is by far the easiest solution to operate Palm Hotsync directly within a 64-bit Windows environment.

There are of course other workarounds to manage Palmcricket score-sheets:
  • With SD memory cards on Palms with SD card readers, e.g. Palm m500, a hotsync is not necessary:
    • One will need a Palm with SD card reader, Palmcricket revision 1.4, SD card and a Windows computer with a built-in or external SD card reader.
    • On the Palm, archive the score-sheet and then export it to the SD card, using Palmcricket Utils.
    • Insert the SD card reader into the Windows SD card reader, either built-in or connected externally via the USB port.
    • Copy and paste the score-sheet from the SD card to a suitable Windows folder.

  • With infra-red beaming on Palm units without SD card readers e.g. Zire 21, a hotsync is not necessary:
    • One will need at least one Palm unit with an SD card reader running Palmcricket 1.4, such as the Palm m500, SD card and a Windows computer with a built-in or external SD card reader.
    • Ensure that there is at least one free Palmcricket archive slot available on the m500.
    • Beam the archived score-sheet from the Zire 21 to the m500, using Palmcricket Utils.
    • On the m500, locate the beamed match in the archive and export it to an SD card, using Palmcricket Utils.
    • Insert the SD card reader into the Windows SD card reader, either built-in or connected externally via the USB port.
    • Copy and paste the score-sheet from the SD card to a suitable Windows folder.

  • With Palm Desktop and hotsync, any of the following methods will work (we've tested all of them):
    • Download and install the Aceeca 64 bit USB Windows Driver for Palm/Garnet OS as exlained above.
    • Use an old Windows XP computer or purchase a second-hand, just for Palmcricket.
    • Purchase an inexpensive netbook computer than runs on 32-bit Windows 7 Starter, such as the Samsung N102.
    • On Windows Vista and Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate editions, install the Palm Desktop and hotsync within Windows XP mode.
    • On 64-bit Windows Vista and Windows 7 Home editions, install the Palm Desktop and hotsync within Oracle's open source VirtualBox, with Windows XP running as a virtual machine inside the host system.
      • Note: An original Microsoft Windows XP CD will be required to install Windows XP inside VirtualBox running on the host system. This method is quite complicated and not recommended, unless one enjoys technical challenges of this nature. The Aceeca 64-bit USB Windows driver mentioned above is far easier to activate and it works directly within Windows 64-bit operating systems.
    • On a Palm with Bluetooth, e.g. the Tungsten E2, setup up a Bluetooth HotSync Connection

 

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This page was last updated on 28 January 2013 at 19:00 South African Time (GMT + 2:00)