Hotsync stopped working - stalls on isync operation

Question

please help. i dont know what happened. i added a few items on my iCal, as i have done before, though this is the first time i have added a recurring device through iCal rather than my palm. some 20 minutes later, i got a synchoronization conflicts message that about 116 calendar events were in conflict btween ical and my palm. i chose to correct them individually for about 10 then chose to have the palm version be primary. this seemed to work fine (though this is the first time i got this conflict message EVER, and i have been sync-ing through isync as well as hotsynch for a good 12 months). i chose not to sync with my palm right away (this was one of the options, that it would update on the next hotsyn).
then, when i tried to hotsync normally, as always works, the sych process was stalled at the isynch and would not move forward. i was only able to do any sync at ALL if i disabled the isync from the conduit manager. and even when it says that it has sync-ed, if i change something on my palm itself to test the sync, it does not even appear on my palm desktop (i did not think it would appear on my mac Adressbbook, obviously, since i disabled the iSync).
so...it appears that NO sync-ing is happening at all - HELP - how can i fix this. i cannt reset the devices, since the information on my palm is more complete than the information on isync.....
thank you

Answer 1

Unless there is a compelling reason to do so, you should only make changes which are forced by shortcomings in the iSync Palm Conduit in the Address Book, and not on your Palm device. Typically, you can make a change anywhere and have it appear everywhere after a synchronization event, but this <work> <home> issue is unique to the conduit, and you should only make such changes in the Address Book. Once you've made them there and again synchronized, the field label and duplicate data problems should not be an issue.
With regard to the Palm Desktop, again - this is normal. There exists a sort of 'rule of conduits' which is essentially that no more than one conduit can be used to synchronize a specific data type at the any time. The iSync Palm conduit is essentially a multiple data type, in that it is responsible for synchronizing contact, calendaring and task data. A three-in-one conduit, if you will.
A conflict arises whenever you have more than one contact conduit active: both the iSync Palm Conduit, and the standard Palm Contacts Conduit. The same would be true for events: having both the iSync Palm Conduit active, as well as the standard Palm Calendars Conduit would represent a conflict. And, so on for tasks or to do data.
To avoid these conflicts, all of these Palm conduits were deactivated during the installation or configuration of iSync. They were moved from the active Conduits folder, to the Disabled Conduits folder:
Address Conduit
Calendar Conduit
Contacts Conduit
Datebook Conduit
Tasks Conduit
ToDo Conduit
There is a quasi-exception to the conduit conflict rule: the early Address, Datebook and ToDo conduits can remain active—along with their later Calendar, Contacts and Tasks conduits—only if you are synchronizing with the Palm Desktop, because it chooses the appropriate single contact from each pair to synchronize with the specific device you use. They are therefore considered 'non-conflicting' conduits. But with iSync, both conduits in each pair, and the entire set of six, conflict with the iSync Palm Conduit.
Other Palm conduits such as Backup, Install, Memo, Memos, and Notepad can [and probably should] remain active to synchronize with the Palm Desktop or perform other functions, as they do not conflict with the iSync Palm Conduit.
The Missing Sync for Palm OS lets you compensate to a degree for the 'rule of conduits' by allowing you to create special Conduit Profiles, which you can easily choose on the fly when initiating a synchronization event. One can be pre-configured to use the Mark/Space Contacts conduit with the Address Book and the Events and Tasks conduits with iCal - another would allow you to synchronize to the Palm Desktop instead using the appropriate Palm conduits. But, you still cannot simultaneously synchronize to both environments because of the conflict that would result. It becomes a process that would look like this:
• select profile
• synchronize the Address Book and iCal
• swap conduit profiles
• synchronize to the Palm Desktop
• reselect the original profile
You should really take a close look at the Missing Sync for Palm OS. Configured properly, it works very well, and supports the synchronization of most third-party Palm OS applications, non-AAC protected music files with iTunes and still images with iPhoto, AvantGo content and so on. Its conduits do a much better job handling contacts, events and tasks than does the iSync Palm Conduit and overcome most of the limitations inherent in it.