MS Money Sync Tips
By Mathew Walton, Copyright 2000, All Rights Reserved
Revised 5/25/2000

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Introduction

I struggled with the Money synchronization for about two weeks and have finally got it stabilized. Here is what I have found out. I hope it is useful to others who are having the same problems.

Background

The first day I got my Jornada my money file got corrupted. I open Money on my device and it gave the 'cannot open file' error. I read on PocketPC.com that I needed to delete my partnership and recreate it. Easy enough, for a one time process, but my Money file died the next day as well. I tried various combinations of resets and configurations, but nothing worked. I knew I could recreate my partnership, but if I was going to have to do that every day, it would be worth it. Then someone in this group said to switch to a temp .mny file and switch back. This worked as well, and was faster, but my money file still crashed.

Recommendations to Avoid Problems

So I did some very methodical unit tests (I'm a programmer) and came up with these tips. I have successfully used Pocket Money for about a week without one crash.

- Do not disconnect your device while synching it. This is obvious. If you do, you will need to use the fix below. - Do not use Money on your Pocket PC while is is connected to your desktop. Physically remove it from the cradle before opening Money. - Do not use MS Money on your desktop while your Pocket PC is synching. - Do not use the 'Continuously Sync' mode in ActiveSync. Use either 'On Connection' or 'Manual' - If, while synching Money, ActiveSync reports that some Money items need to be resolved, do NOT click on 'Resolve'. Disconnect the device, reset it and reconnect it. The second sync will clear the items. - Before connecting your device to your cradle, SHUT DOWN MONEY on your device. On the Jornada, you can kill a task from the Today page. - Before connecting your device to your cradle, shut down money on your desktop. Basically, neither your desktop version, nor your Pocket PC version should be running when you sync.

Fixing Your Money File on Your Pocket PC

If your money file on your device does get corrupted, fix it like this:

1. Disconnect your device from the cradle.
2. Reset your device.
3. In your ActiveSync window, double click on the Money icon.
4. Change the money file to a sample file. There is a Sample.mny file in your Money directory.
5. Press OK.
6. Reconnect your device and initiate a Sync.
7. Disconnect your device from the cradle.
8. Double click the Money icon.
9. Change the Money file back to your original file and press OK.
10. Reconnect your device and initiate a Sync.

This has fixed a corrupt file every time for me.

One person reported another problem with synching, one which I have not experienced. That is, Cleared transactions get changed to Reconciled. I have no idea if the above tips will solve that problem or not, since I cannot reproduce it. That person was also fiddling with the Money Database, though, so that may have been the cause of it.

Discuss this article at Pocket PC FAQ Forums

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