Are you a struggling artist?
There are some peripherals on your Mac that the PalmPilot software might not get along with either. In particular, specialized input devices plugged into your ADB port (the kind of port that you would normally plug your keyboard into) can be problematic. One family of products that we know currently causes a conflict with performing HotSync synchronizations and simply running the Desktop software is the Wacom line of art tablets. Since there are tons of us who use our Macs for desktop design applications, this can be a problem for a lot of you out there. I personally use one at work because not only are they great for graphics work, they're also a nice alternative to using a mouse all day long.

The two workarounds that you can try if you are also a user of a Wacom tablet is either turning off the Wacom extension in your Extensions Manager before restarting, or physically unplugging the Wacom tablet before attempting a HotSync operation. I usually synchronize my PalmPilot organizer when I first get into the office, so it doesn't cramp my style much when I unplug my tablet before even starting up.

Just remember that the Wacom extension looks for your tablet to be connected at startup in order to load, so if you disconnect the device before you turn on your Mac, you'll need to restart with the tablet connected after you're done with the HotSync operation.

Good housekeeping
Mac users are used to having total control over the landscape of their file structure. You can generally move files around, bury them in folders, place applications wherever you want, change their icons, and still be able to use them just fine. There are always exceptions to this, (i.e., try to use an extension file outside of the Extensions folder, and you'll promptly find trouble). This is how your Pilot Desktop folder should be treated.

When you install the Desktop software, the installer's default is to place the program's folder on the root or top level of your hard drive. To avoid any problems in the future, it should stay there. You should also keep all of its contents intact there. Don't try to move any files or applications to any other locations on your Mac's hard drive or desktop, or it may be difficult for the PalmPilot software to find things later.

If you're like me, though, you don't like to go through an entire excavation just to launch a program. I like to have my applications ready for me on my Mac's desktop, or at least in the Apple menu.

If you shouldn't move the Pilot Desktop application, how can you do this? Easy, just make an alias. Creating aliases for any applications that you use often is a good idea. You can organize your applications and files in their appropriate folders, but you can access them from anywhere else you might think it would be convenient.

All you need to do to make an alias of Pilot Desktop to place, say, on your Mac's desktop is click once to highlight the Pilot Desktop icon and select Make Alias from the File menu. A copy of the Pilot Desktop icon will appear adjacent to it, with "Pilot Desktop alias" in italics underneath. You can now move this alias to the desktop, or any other location on your Mac you like. You can also rename it or change its icon without affecting its ability to launch the Pilot Desktop application. You can use the same procedure on any application or file that you use frequently and need an alias.