[Alex Ethridge]

Using Palm Desktop version 4.2.0 and Windows 2000, Gigabyte GA8IPE-1000G main board, P4 2800-MHz processor and 1 Gigabyte of RAM. My handheld device is the Palm TX; but, this problem has nothing to do with the handheld. It is only the Palm Desktop application that is giving me a problem.

I cannot print my contacts list. In an effort to troubleshoot this problem, I have installed the Palm Desktop version 4.2.0 on all four of my desktop computers and I get the same result on all of them.

I sent a Tech Support request to Palm; but, this being a holiday weekend, I don't expect a quick answer. They requested I present the problem in a Step-1-2-3 fashion so here's what I sent them:

• Step 1) I start the Palm Desktop application
  Step 2) I open the Contacts list
  Step 3) I select to view All contacts
  Step 4) I click File on the menu bar
  Step 5) I click Print on the File drop-down menu
  Step 6) I select to print Viewed Category
  Step 7) I deselect to print Notes
  Step 8) The Print dialog box opens
  Step 9) I use the default printer, an HP Laserjet 5
  Step 10) I click Print
  Step 11) The Print dialog box flashes off and back on in a split second
  Step 12) I click Print again
  Step 13) Instantly, an error message appears that says, "Your request resulted in no items to be printed."
  Step 14) The Palm Desktop program freezes
  Step 15) Clicking anywhere on the Palm Desktop GUI produces a Windows error "ding"
  Step 16) The only way to close the Palm Desktop is with Task Manager
  Step 17) I have four computers in my home of different brands with different main boards and the result is the same on all computers.

I've looked for possible updates to the desktop application but cannot find any. Also, Palm's troubleshooting/Tech Support pages seem to take a very optimistic view of their program so I found nothing there.

 

[Alex Ethridge]

I just got off the phone with Palm Tech Support and without getting into what didn't work, I will go only with what did.

• I opened my Contacts list
• I selected a category named Banks
• I single-clicked on (any) one contact in that category
• I pressed Ctrl+A
• I pressed Ctrl+C
• I then created a new user and named it Test
• I then created a new category under the Test name that matched the category name under the old user, in this case, "Banks".
• I single-clicked on one of the blank lines in the empty Banks category.
• I pressed Ctrl+V. All of the contacts listed in the old user account under Banks are now listed in the Test account under the Banks category.
• I repeated this process for each category in order to preserve the categories.

I gather from this experience that there was some corruption in the old Palm database that is left behind during the copy-n-paste operations.

The solution was, in the end, simple. I should have thought of it myself; but, it didn't occurr to me it was a corrupt database since all other aspects of the program worked perfectly.