Have you tried your home PC HotSync cradle at work? Maybe the cradle you have at home is faulty.

Another way to test the connection is to hook up the cradle and drop your Palm device in it as though you're going to synchronize. Close HotSync Manager and fire up HyperTerminal by selecting Programs->Accessories->HyperTerminal->HyperTrm.exe from the Start menu. You'll need to create a connection using "Direct to COMn," where n is the number of the serial port you're using. In Figure A, you'll see how to create a new connection in HyperTerminal. You can name the connection whatever you'd like and choose any of the icons displayed. Click OK to continue.

FIGURE A

Create a new connection in HyperTerminal. Click picture for a larger image.

In this example, I'm creating a connection to COM2. In the Phone Number screen, pull down the "Connect using" box and select "Direct to COM2." As you see in Figure B, choose the COM port you want to test. Then click OK to continue.

FIGURE B

Choose the COM port you want to test, then click OK to continue. Click picture for a larger image.

The next step is to configure the COM2 settings. The only thing you need to change is the speed. The default speed is 2400, but you should change it to 9600. In Figure C, you see how to select 9600, which is a good speed for testing. Click OK when you're ready to continue.

FIGURE C

Change the speed in the COM port properties. Click picture for a larger image.

Now you're ready to test the connection. You see in Figure D that you should select Call->Connect. Then press the HotSync button on the cradle.

FIGURE D

Select Call->Connect and then press the HotSync button on the cradle.

If you see gibberish on the screen, your serial port is receiving data from the Palm device, indicating you don't have a hardware problem with the Palm device or cradle. Figure E shows you what you might see.

FIGURE E

You'll see something like this if your hardware is working. Click picture for a larger image.

Some other things you might want to try can be found by visiting, http://www.palm.com/support/helpnotes/desktop/comports.html and http://www.palm.com/support/helpnotes/hotsync/timeout.html.

If none of these suggestions work, I'm stumped!

Dan Amrich reports back
Thanks for your good advice. In the time between sending my question and receiving your answer, the problem was fixed. The only thing I changed was my memory DIMM--I had to return the stick I bought three weeks ago and borrowed some RAM from a friend while I waited for the new stuff to come in--but that fixed a lot. The memory was causing random restarts and crashes, so it's very likely that unstable serial connections were part of the problem.

Thanks,
Dan

How to choose a new device when envy's not nice
Dear Mr. Perlow:

Based on reading your writings in PalmPower Magazine and elsewhere, it seems to me you have quite a vast knowledge of Palm products. If I may, I'd like to ask you for some advice.

I purchased a PalmPilot Personal back in February of 1996 and upgraded that to a PalmPilot Professional a year and a half later. As you can imagine, I drool every time I see someone with a newer Palm device with more memory. Currently, I have to delete apps such as Tinysheets and Avantgo every time I want to load a big book to keep me entertained when I'm on the road.