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Zone Alarm bug found with iPAQ and ActiveSync
Originally posted on June
12th, 2002
Pow! Right in the Kisser!
Just when you think your computing
lifestyle couldn't be better, one morning you wake up and discover
a massive headache with your computer toys... namely, your Compaq
iPAQ.
 Okay, I wake up one morning get the coffee, get
the paper, and reach for the power button on the 'ol PC. I fire
the baby up and wait for the 2 dings from my iPAQ. While I'm
foaming up my non-fat laite on my trusty Krups Gusto, I hear
something funny over on the computer desk...
Hmmm...
What's that? The ActiveSync screen
is stuck on Connecting... Just sits there... Connecting...
So, I go on the net look around
for tech articles. I found a few things (outdated and mostly
for Windows CE devices) and non of them helped. I thought I'd
call the guys of at Compaq/iPAQ and I find that Mrs. HP.com has
changed the Compaq webpage. When you type www.Compaq.com it goes
to the www.HP.com website. So there's a picture of a handheld
device and no mention of a iPAQ. I finally find a page pertaining
to iPAQ but nothing about service, support or my 3765. My pissed
level rises to defcon 2...
I remembered that one of my previous
searches resulted in a old Compaq page with the familiar Compaq
colors. I went back and found that page and navigated to my 3765
model. Ahhh... Zen. I looked through the tech articles finding
many references to my problem but nothing worked. So far I spent
3 hours on this now...
 I call Compaq. I navigate through the phone menus
like a one legged man in a mine field and get a tech support
person. After a personal info DNA analysis, we started to diagnose
the issue. After several this and that's and playing the guessing
tech game, the tech tells me to do a Hard Reset on my iPAQ. What?!?!?!.
You gotta be kidding! Well, I grudgingly perform the task and
still nothing... No the tech is telling me to reinstall Windows
XP... I told him to forget it.
So I spent another couple of
hours unloading questionable software programs, MSN Messenger,
Yahoo Messenger, anything with communication capabilities. The
last thing I checked was Zone Alarm. Wouldn't you know it. I
checked and looked at all the settings and still nothing. Then
I unloaded it from the Control Panel and rebooted. Check what?
My iPAQ started right up and start synching all my stuff from
the desktop!
Damn it!
So, I no longer use Zone Alarm.
I removed it from my PC and I don't think I'll be using it in
the future.
Michael
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