ActiveSync has quit working

I have a Treo 750w smart phone which I sync to my Windows XP Pro desktop with
ActiveSync 4.5. My notes indicate that in August 2008, I removed SP3 from my
XP system, after reading forum posts from people whose ActiveSync had simply
Stopped Working.

In March 2009, I checked the ActiveSync site again, and Windows XP SP3 was
listed as supported, so I made a mental note to install SP3 again; I don't
have the date I did it but it was at least several weeks ago, and everything
worked fine through 7/12, the last date my phone says it was synchronized.

This afternoon I got a batch of Windows updates installed on my XP system.
This evening, I plugged in my phone, and ActiveSync won't come up. It won't
even start when I double-click on it from the Start menu. The box recognizes
the phone as a USB device but ActiveSync is MIA. This. Will. Not. Do.

Here are the updates which were installed this afternoon:

Windows XP Cumulative Security Update for ActiveX Killbits for Windows XP
(KB973346) Wednesday, July 15, 2009 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Security Update for Windows XP (KB971633) Wednesday, July 15,
2009 Automatic Updates
Office 2003 Update for Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter
(KB971931) Wednesday, July 15, 2009 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool - July 2009 (KB890830)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Security Update for Windows XP (KB961371) Wednesday, July 15,
2009 Automatic Updates

I'm inclined to exonerate the Junk Email Filter and probably the Malicious
Software Removal Tool (unless Microsoft has decided that ActiveSync is
malicious software). That leaves:

KB973346 ActiveX Killbits
KB971633 security update for WinXP
KB961371 security update for WinXP

I would bet money that one of these updates has killed ActiveSync and I need
to know which one to back off. I also want to report this extremely
unpleasant result. All advice accepted with gratitude.
--
hedera

Nature bats last.

OK, my apologies to the group - I solved this one myself. It occurred to me
(after I posted) that the Windows update hadn't asked me to reboot the
system, although the same updates earlier in the day on my Vista laptop did
reboot the system. So I rebooted, and ActiveSync came right up. Hopefully
this will help some other hapless XP soul.
--
hedera

Nature bats last.


"hedera" wrote:

> I have a Treo 750w smart phone which I sync to my Windows XP Pro desktop with
> ActiveSync 4.5. My notes indicate that in August 2008, I removed SP3 from my
> XP system, after reading forum posts from people whose ActiveSync had simply
> Stopped Working.
>
> In March 2009, I checked the ActiveSync site again, and Windows XP SP3 was
> listed as supported, so I made a mental note to install SP3 again; I don't
> have the date I did it but it was at least several weeks ago, and everything
> worked fine through 7/12, the last date my phone says it was synchronized.
>
> This afternoon I got a batch of Windows updates installed on my XP system.
> This evening, I plugged in my phone, and ActiveSync won't come up. It won't
> even start when I double-click on it from the Start menu. The box recognizes
> the phone as a USB device but ActiveSync is MIA. This. Will. Not. Do.
>
> Here are the updates which were installed this afternoon:
>
> Windows XP Cumulative Security Update for ActiveX Killbits for Windows XP
> (KB973346) Wednesday, July 15, 2009 Automatic Updates
> Windows XP Security Update for Windows XP (KB971633) Wednesday, July 15,
> 2009 Automatic Updates
> Office 2003 Update for Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter
> (KB971931) Wednesday, July 15, 2009 Automatic Updates
> Windows XP Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool - July 2009 (KB890830)
> Wednesday, July 15, 2009 Automatic Updates
> Windows XP Security Update for Windows XP (KB961371) Wednesday, July 15,
> 2009 Automatic Updates
>
> I'm inclined to exonerate the Junk Email Filter and probably the Malicious
> Software Removal Tool (unless Microsoft has decided that ActiveSync is
> malicious software). That leaves:
>
> KB973346 ActiveX Killbits
> KB971633 security update for WinXP
> KB961371 security update for WinXP
>
> I would bet money that one of these updates has killed ActiveSync and I need
> to know which one to back off. I also want to report this extremely
> unpleasant result. All advice accepted with gratitude.
> --
> hedera
>
> Nature bats last.