I just got my new (used) i500 in the mail and none too soon. the screen on the old one is completely kaput.

Can anyone point me to directions for doing a full back-up so that I can jsut "plug and play" the new one or does it have to be more complex than that?

I suppose I am headed for tech support...

TIA

I have backed up the "old" phone to my Palm Desktop. That worked fine.

I plugged the "new" phone into the cradle and the computer saw it just fine as a SAMSUNG USB Composite Device on the Device manager with driver version 3.36.0.2700 dated 10/23/2002. I downloaded the current driver (thanks MonkeyBoy for the samsung link) and now it has version 4.16.0.2701

now the trouble: Even though the PC (windows XP) sees the device as a samsung CDMA when I plug it in, as soon as I hit the HotSync button on the cradle (either of the two I have) the PC then says that it is an unrecognized device.

Now, of course, Sprint can;t help me bacause it's a plam problem. Palm can't help me because it's not their device and Samsung doesn't even have a help category for these.

I am completely at your mercy.

The main thing is to create a user in Palm Desktop with a different name from that which you were using before.

Check with Those Who Know, but I think once you've done that, and you've named the "Owner" on your phone to match the new user in PD, you should be fine to sync your info from the computer to the new phone.

__________________
It's a pond. My god. It's JUST a pond!!!
WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE??!??!!???
-Thoreau, in a sudden moment of realization

IF I understand the problem, I would not create a new name. Assuming your old I500 was backed up then just sync the new one selecting the current (old) name when asked, and like magic almost all your old data and progs will be transferred to your new I500. You may have to individually load (install) some 3rd party progs and/or input activation codes (trust you kept those) for some progs that did sync but need to be activated (eg Markndial needs to have its activation code re-entered).

Hope this helps. IF your old device was NOT an I500 let us know.

BB

__________________
That'sssssssss all folks!

I'd go with BlazorBoy. He is definitely one of Those Who Know.

__________________
It's a pond. My god. It's JUST a pond!!!
WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE??!??!!???
-Thoreau, in a sudden moment of realization

Thanks bb. That was what I was thinking - to give the new phone the old phone's name and let behave as if it were recovering from a total crash.

Although I sync regularly, I have to admit that I have absolutely NO idea how to back up.

And yes, the old device was/is an i500.

Thank you

If you are using Windows, click "Custom" in the Palm Hotsync Manager, and then select "Backup". Under "backup", select "handheld overwrites desktop". Then sync the phone once, and repeat the selection process, but this time select "do nothing" and "make default". That way, once you have a good backup of the phone, nothing that happens to the phone will screw up the backup on the computer.

enjoy the new (sort of) phone!

so is there something I can do if the PC will NOT recognize the new phone?

Have you gone into preferences (on the palm side of the phone) and selected "Cradle/Cable"? Have you checked all cable connections to make sure they are solid?

What happens (or doesn't happen) when you try to sync? How does the PC tell you that it doesn't recognize the phone?

Did the PC sync reliably with your previous i500?

thanks booklaw:

Yes, I have set preferences to Cradle/cable (I have also tried both cradles at my disposal and the USB power cable thing

I can sync to and from the old phone no problem. The new phone gets recognized as Samsung composite device when I pug in, but becomes "unknown" when I hit the HotSync button on the cradle.

I went into driver detail above.

Meanwhile, I am working the "jiggle till it works" angle and trying to do as much IR transfer as I can, but if this phone remains unable to sync, I think it is pretty much a brick by definition, no?

Ah! and this occurs on both of my notebooks, on all cradles and cables.

I'm wondering whether the new driver that you downloaded could be responsible for the problem you're having. Is it possible to download and reinstall the older driver?