[Eternal]

This piece of software is a pile of crap. It consistently quits every time I try to sync - I can't get it to sync anything. I am putting version 3 back, which used to sync contacts, calendars (though all of them) and tasks fine.


UPdate: finally managed to get it to do something. Will not sync 'To-do' tasks in iCal no matter what I try. Calendar syncs ok now and contacts too, I think. Anyone had any problems where it will not sync tasks in iCal?

[schuey100]

Originally Posted by Eternal

This piece of software is a pile of crap. It consistently quits every time I try to sync - I can't get it to sync anything. I am putting version 3 back, which used to sync contacts, calendars (though all of them) and tasks fine.


UPdate: finally managed to get it to do something. Will not sync 'To-do' tasks in iCal no matter what I try. Calendar syncs ok now and contacts too, I think. Anyone had any problems where it will not sync tasks in iCal?

I can get it to sync contacts but nothing else. iCal just will NOT update! I don't even mind tasks not updating but I cannot live without iCal support!

I've been through to their tech support and got a standard answer (which suggested solutions all of which I pointed out I'd already tried) and have set another ticket up. They all seem to be really nice people there so hopefully I'll get it sorted.

Out of interest, how did you get iCal to sync?

[schuey100]

BTW, will pocketmac 3 work with the BB Pearl? I actually don't mind paying if I can get the calenders and email updating.

[Activator]

Originally Posted by schuey100

Out of interest, how did you get iCal to sync?

Did PM generate a "PocketMac" calendar in your iCal? I couldn't get it to work either until it finally made the "Pocketmac" calendar.

Make sure you have "two way sync" set in the advanced prefs in the PM calendar window.

*** I backed up my iCal folder (in the user/library/application support/iCal) before running the 1st "two way" sync, but the sync worked fine and has every time since.

Also, I truly believe using a powered USB hub prevents a lot of problems.

[schuey100]

I do have a powered USB hub somewhere. I'll have to dig it out. It's silly that you have to use one though....

It did create a PM calendar but that hasn't helped. Syncing the first time is fine. It's syncing after that that I find the problem.

[schuey100]

Okay, forget the hub, it works (fingers crossed)

I have no idea what I did but after pressing a few buttons and generally smashing both the computer and BB against the wall it seems to be 'okay'. I don't want to try and sync again just in case I get back to the same problem...

[Eternal]

Originally Posted by schuey100

Okay, forget the hub, it works (fingers crossed)

I have no idea what I did but after pressing a few buttons and generally smashing both the computer and BB against the wall it seems to be 'okay'. I don't want to try and sync again just in case I get back to the same problem...

Yes, that seems to be the right solution! It took me a while to get it to work too - I had several restarts of the Mac and BB. This is a very unstable program. It offers more features but has been "rushed" (even though we have been waiting ages) and is not consistent. It hangs, it quits, it does everything but sync effortlessly, which version 3 did. And as for not syncing tasks from iCal, well that is just ridiculous.

Luckily, I have a version 3 still to hand, I shall downgrade as I am not convinced tech support have the solution. As far as I can see the solution is to release a newer version that actually works properly.

[koehn]

I had the runaway pcscd process problem (with and without a MicroSD card installed), where even "sudo killall -9 pcscd" wouldn't get rid of it.

I was able to prevent the pcscd process from running away by modifying /private/etc/mach_init.d/securityd.plist so that the line:

        <string>/usr/sbin/securityd</string>

Should instead read:

        <string>/usr/sbin/securityd -s conservative</string>

After a reboot I've had no more problems.

Like others on this thread mentioned, I need to start PocketMac before attaching my 8100 for syncing to work. Now it works every time.

[mr_kitty]

Originally Posted by koehn

I had the runaway pcscd process problem (with and without a MicroSD card installed), where even "sudo killall -9 pcscd" wouldn't get rid of it.

I was able to prevent the pcscd process from running away by modifying /private/etc/mach_init.d/securityd.plist so that the line:

        <string>/usr/sbin/securityd</string>

Should instead read:

        <string>/usr/sbin/securityd -s conservative</string>

After a reboot I've had no more problems.

Like others on this thread mentioned, I need to start PocketMac before attaching my 8100 for syncing to work. Now it works every time.

For anyone considering doing this, this was suggested in the forum link I posted above. It has possible consequences that you should be aware of.

PCSCD is the system's pc card /smart card daemon. IFAICT it's job is to fire up when a pc card, or smart card reader is attached and fire off all the known drivers at it until it finds one that works. By modifying securityd with the "conservative" flag, you change the parameters in which securityd calls PCSCD to the job. Basically, instead of calling PCSCD anytime a known smartcard reader OR UNKNOWN USB DEVICE is attached, it will ONLY call PCSCD when a KNOWN smartcard reader is attached.

That may sound like a good idea, but depending on what smart card readers you are using, it may not be. Not all valid smartcard readers properly identify themselves as such, so by making the change above you risk k.o.'ing your smartcard reader support from the system. that assumes of course that you use one, and that it doesn't work with the conservative flag. it's not necessarily going to affect you, but it might and you should keep that in mind before you go blindly modifying the system settings.

my theory is that the USB drivers for the blackberry is malformed and the internal device memory is being read as an unknown USB device, and thus causing the PCSCD process to panic. however, my theory is about useless in the grand scheme of things cause i have no ability to fix the problem, and apparently since RIM can't even manage to test this on a mac that lives in the same room as any of their qa or developers, neither do they.

[pipermalibu]

I have had consistent syncing untl a few days ago. Now it will not sync ANYTHING from iCal. It just gives me an error at the end. It does not hang. When going to advanced prefs in Pocketmac, categories are not listed anymore. I have tried deleting prefs (i think I got all of them) etc. To no avail. I have sent PM support an email 3 days ago, but no response.

Anyone find a solution to this problem?

[pipermalibu]

Turned out to be a simple fix. I downloaded Pocketmac, 4.0.17 from RIM and reinstalled. It reset the SyncTool that links to iCal. It worked first try. One note is that the RIM site just says it is 4.0 and has not been updated or posted since early Oct. Obviously wrong.

[mr_kitty]

Originally Posted by pipermalibu

Turned out to be a simple fix. I downloaded Pocketmac, 4.0.17 from RIM and reinstalled. It reset the SyncTool that links to iCal. It worked first try. One note is that the RIM site just says it is 4.0 and has not been updated or posted since early Oct. Obviously wrong.

4.0.17 was the first, and only (thus far) official release of PocketMac 4.0. It was released in early October.

Two months later and still no one seems to have any idea how to make a stable patch for the sucker. Ordinarily I wouldn't be so hard on them, but releasing and not recalling software that they KNOW causes hard crashes on Mac OS X machines is downright irresponsible. It's an invitation to data corruption and loss.

[amlis_vess]

I'm in stunned awe, but after a couple weeks of beating my head against the wall the powered USB option is working very very well for me.

[baelie]

Since my new Pearl doesn't connect to PM4, I was looking around for a possible solution and stumbled into this thread which deals with the pcscd process bogging down the Mac.

A workaround is described at the PocketMac support site:
article_id=36

Since I am only allowed to post URLs after having posted 10 other posts (what for heaven's sake is the background of this strange policy?), I include the text from the PM support article here:

If you have a microSD card in your BlackBerry Pearl (8100), you may experience the Mac bogging down and ultimately freezing after connecting the Pearl to the Mac. If you happen to load Activity Monitor and display ALL processes so you can see the Apple ones, too, you would see an application called "pcscd" begin to occupy up to 100% of the CPU.

What is causing this is a problem when you say "NO" to using the Pearl as a mass storage device, or simply don't answer that question, the problem begins when the process called pcscd in Apple's OSX launches to hook up any mass storage device.

Here's what happens: When you connect the BlackBerry to the Mac, whether or not PocketMac is loaded or launched, the Mac is seeing your microSD card in the BlackBerry. The BlackBerry then prompts you, asking if you want to use it as a mass storage device.

For some reason, OS X freaks out when you answer NO. Or if you take too long to answer.

The workaround is simple: always answer YES. And do it fairly soon, for example, within a couple of minutes.

Now, here's how we avoid the whole issue 100% on the Pearl: In Options, Advanced Options, Media Card, change your settings so that they are all "On," encryption is turned off, so it is seen as a mass storage device automatically, and change the last setting from "Prompt" to "yes."

Now, you will never get the question, and the Mac puts pcscd away promptly after the connection, just like when you answer YES to that prompted question.

If this has happened to you, reset the Mac (you'll have to physically turn it off because pcscd is such a CPU hog). Then restart the Mac, connect the Pearl, answer YES on the Pearl, launch PocketMac, and the two will get along nicely ever after.

Hope that helps!

P.S. We're working with RIM and Apple to resolve that issue, which happens completely outside of PocketMac and is not subject to our control.

[mr_kitty]

baelie, from that article you would *think* that would solve the problems with pcscd, but alas, it does not.

[capeyork]

Using Pocketmac for Blackberry Peral v.4.0.17 I managed to make it crash every single time I tried to sync. Pocketmail would close and the pcscd process, owned by root user, would run and re-run continuously. Force quitting it didn't work because it would just start up again. (had to reboot every time).

Now that I got it to work again, I think the problem was related to the Categories in Address Book.

I was using "Smart Groups" and the sync screwed up all my local groups in address book. When I removed all the categories on the blackberry contact list, I was never able to sync again. The contact list on the phone could be viewed, but I wasn't able to search for a contact either.

I believe this corrupted the whole contact list on the phone, and a hard reset finally fixed it. (Options > Security Options > General Options > Wipe Handheld {contextual menu})

Running:
Mac Os X 10.4.8
1.33 GHz PowerPC G4
1 GB DDR SDRAM

[sborr]

When I try to sync pocketmac 4.0, with my 8100 (pearl) I get the following error: "(10:18:39.420) unable to connect to blackberry (error 1) skipping" If I unplug and re-plug it starts to sync and then hangs about halfway through. Has anyone had the same problem or know of a fix?

[mr_kitty]

Originally Posted by sborr

When I try to sync pocketmac 4.0, with my 8100 (pearl) I get the following error: "(10:18:39.420) unable to connect to blackberry (error 1) skipping" If I unplug and re-plug it starts to sync and then hangs about halfway through. Has anyone had the same problem or know of a fix?

try the new missing sync for blackberry beta: http://missingsync.com/missingsync_bb_issues.html



(also keep in mind that that "hang", might just be the synching of every calendar entry you've ever entered to the phone -- pocketmac isn't very *intelligent about calendar synching -- and it might actually complete eventually.)