If you perform a HotSync before attempting to correct the problem, you may be overwriting your backups with the corrupted data! If you noticed the problem when your connection dropped while trying to HotSync in the first place, however, it may be a good idea to try it again. When you perform the HotSync this time, however, you should try to take notice when the connection was actually dropped.

When the HotSync Progress window pops up on your PC monitor, keep your eye on the status line and try to catch at which point the HotSync Manager stopped the synchronization. This will tell you what data file probably contains the corruption. For example, if you notice that the connection drops when the status line says "Synchronizing Address Book", the ADDRESS.DAT file probably has the corruption. You will also want to check the HotSync log to see where it ran into problems. To do this, launch PalmPilot Desktop and select View Log from the HotSync menu. Look at the last record for any suspicious entries made by the HotSync Manager reporting problems with synchronizing any of the applications. This will help you confirm which .DAT file to replace.

Similarly, if your PalmPilot organizer has some garbage like I described above, the data file for the application you are working in should probably be replaced with your backup. In my example, I was looking up Address Book information, so I would try replacing the ADDRESS.DAT file.

The first thing that you should do when substituting your files is to move (not copy) your .DAT files to a safe place. You can just create a new directory in your user name folder, call it something like OLDDAT and keep those files safe from being altered. They'll be there just in case you need to replace them.

Next, simply rename your .BAK files so that they use the .DAT extension. For example, if I was replacing my Address Book data with my backup, I would rename the backup file from ADDRESS.BAK to ADDRESS.DAT. Do not touch any of the other files that may be in the same directory.

Launch PalmPilot Desktop. In the HotSync menu, select Custom. In the window that appears, select the application in which you are replacing the data and click the Change button. Select the option "Desktop overwrites PalmPilot". Click Ok, then the Done button.

Perform a HotSync. Not only will your PalmPilot Desktop software now be using the data from your backup file, but it will overwrite whatever bad data may be lurking on your PalmPilot device as well.

Now, considering that you caught the problem early enough and the backup files weren't corrupted, you should be able to go on your merry way. You should be aware that the data that is now on your organizer and in PalmPilot Desktop reflects what has been synchronized at the time of your last successful HotSync, so anything you may have entered on your PC or on your PalmPilot device since that last synchronization will have been lost. If you perform a HotSync on a regular basis, however, you shouldn't come up with too many lost entries.