Outlook Sync Problem - Page 12

musiccity · 08-13-2007, 01:39 PM

I just thought I would add my two cents. After getting my iPhone last Thursday, I have spent at least ten hours trying to get a successful calendar synch. I spoke with Apple Tech Support for about an hour on Friday. (They also indicated to me that the most recent iTunes version has resolved any problems with synching.....) I have tried every suggestion in this thread as well as another I found without success.

My contacts appear to synch. I did fun Scanpst.exe on my primary PST data file and it found errors which were repaired. NOTHING appears to work. I have even tried disabling every COM and ADD IN other than the iTunes Outlook Add-In without success.

The only time I have been able to synch any calendar option is having set up a completely new user account with Admin privaleges. One "test" contact and appointment did synch. Using live data, no luck at all.

This may well be a "deal breaker" for me at this point. I definitely cannot recommend the phone to any business clients until the synch process is at least as solid as Activesynch (which isn't always perfect but is much more reliable than this incarnation of Apple's design).

Frankly, I thought my biggest complaint would be the lack of a synch conduit for Outlook's to do list. I rely on this heavily as well as my calendar. Without either, I have a novelty item here with some cool consumer interfaces.

I will keep monitoring this thread. Thanks to all who have contributed. I will remain hopeful that some solution presents itself.

JonP · 08-13-2007, 08:11 PM

I originally looked into this forum when my wife's iPhone would not sync with her Outlook 2003 calendar. It was here that I learned that the new release of iTunes 7.3.2 resolved the syncing problem. After installing 7.3.2 on her laptop, her iPhone synced her calendar as it was supposed to.

Then I made the big mistake. I "upgraded" my copy of iTunes to 7.3.2 and my Outlook 2007 calendar stopped syncing.

I tried to revert to 7.3.1 (no longer found on the Apple website; found a copy on filehippo.com) and the calendar sync still no longer worked. Spent about 2.5 hours on the phone with Apple support uninstalling and re-installing software, setting up new users, new calendars and the sync still didn't work. However, the Apple tech did give me some useful advice which I later applied to my original solution - to roll-back the iTunes version to 7.3.1 that worked.

Here's the trick that worked for me -- The uninstall function in the Windows control panel does not remove all components of iTunes. You must remove the following four application programs in this order. Do not re-boot until all 4 applications and other folders/files are removed.
1) Apple Mobile Device Support
2) Quicktime
3) iTunes
4) Apple Software Update
After these applications are removed, navigate to the Program Files folder and remove any folders (and the files contained within) labeled Quicktime and iTunes. Also remove any iTunes or Quicktime folders/files from the c:\WINDOWS\system32 directory.
Then re-boot.

Following the re-boot, open Outlook 2007 and remove the iTunes Outlook Addin. I found that the addin was made "inactive;" it needs to be removed. Remove it by clicking "Go" on the Manage COM Addins dialog box, highlighting the iTunes addin(s) and clicking remove. Quit Outlook.

Then re-install iTunes 7.3.1. Make sure that you unclick the checkbox during the install that enables automatic iTunes updates.

That did it for me. I'm back syncing my Outlook calendar again.

FrankMcL · 08-13-2007, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by JonP

I originally looked into this forum when my wife's iPhone would not sync with her Outlook 2003 calendar. It was here that I learned that the new release of iTunes 7.3.2 resolved the syncing problem. After installing 7.3.2 on her laptop, her iPhone synced her calendar as it was supposed to.

Then I made the big mistake. I "upgraded" my copy of iTunes to 7.3.2 and my Outlook 2007 calendar stopped syncing.

I tried to revert to 7.3.1 (no longer found on the Apple website; found a copy on filehippo.com) and the calendar sync still no longer worked. Spent about 2.5 hours on the phone with Apple support uninstalling and re-installing software, setting up new users, new calendars and the sync still didn't work. However, the Apple tech did give me some useful advice which I later applied to my original solution - to roll-back the iTunes version to 7.3.1 that worked.

Here's the trick that worked for me -- The uninstall function in the Windows control panel does not remove all components of iTunes. You must remove the following four application programs in this order. Do not re-boot until all 4 applications and other folders/files are removed.
1) Apple Mobile Device Support
2) Quicktime
3) iTunes
4) Apple Software Update
After these applications are removed, navigate to the Program Files folder and remove any folders (and the files contained within) labeled Quicktime and iTunes. Also remove any iTunes or Quicktime folders/files from the c:\WINDOWS\system32 directory.
Then re-boot.

Following the re-boot, open Outlook 2007 and remove the iTunes Outlook Addin. I found that the addin was made "inactive;" it needs to be removed. Remove it by clicking "Go" on the Manage COM Addins dialog box, highlighting the iTunes addin(s) and clicking remove. Quit Outlook.

Then re-install iTunes 7.3.1. Make sure that you unclick the checkbox during the install that enables automatic iTunes updates.

That did it for me. I'm back syncing my Outlook calendar again.

Unfortunately I'm using Vista and 2007...when I WAS using 2003 it synced OK.
I refuse to use "outdated" software just to sync the iPhone. I'm calling tech support at Apple if they can't get it working I'm buying a PPC6800 with Windows Mobile 6. Not as elegant but much more functional. I'll forward the AT&T calls to my Sprint # which, fortunately, I did not deactivate..this just became a $3,000 exercise. Hopefully in the near future Apple will get the business end of things going.
Now...all you crab apples leave me alone!! Present company excepted<G>.

johnc-onward · 08-24-2007, 06:36 PM

I ran into this problem with a client. It seems the iCal sync utility bombs if it runs into any calendar items with a blank "subject" line. To fix this easily in Outlook 2003, go to your calendar and change your "View" (under "Views" menu) to "all Appointments". Then delete or add a subject to any calendar entry without one. Then re-run the sync. Reset your view back to normal when done. John Onward Technologies (http://www.onwardtek.com)

FrankMcL · 08-25-2007, 06:02 AM

Originally Posted by johnc-onward

I ran into this problem with a client. It seems the iCal sync utility bombs if it runs into any calendar items with a blank "subject" line. To fix this easily in Outlook 2003, go to your calendar and change your "View" (under "Views" menu) to "all Appointments". Then delete or add a subject to any calendar entry without one. Then re-run the sync. Reset your view back to normal when done. John Onward Technologies (http://www.onwardtek.com)

Now running Vista and 2007, did check calendar, all subject lines are complete.

dpatduke · 08-26-2007, 04:01 PM

I only see one iTunes choice in the COM add-ins - not two. I'm using Outlook 2003 and can sync my contacts but not the calendar. Thanks.

Originally Posted by gcarver2

At last! Go to Outook. On menu, go to Tools/Options. Pick the Other tab, then Advanced Options. Look for COM Add-Ins and select the two Itunes choices.

Voila!

JonP · 08-26-2007, 04:11 PM

I recommend the complete uninstall as described in Post #112 in this thread. Then re-install using the version of iTunes that works for you. 7.3.2 worked with Outlook 2003 for my wife's phone.

btc · 08-26-2007, 11:59 PM

I seem to have a slightly different sync problem. I loaded my data from Treo into MS outlook 2003 without a problem. Then sync to iPhone with no problems for contacts. The calender sync'd but about 5 hrs off on just about every event. The time zones are correct for both outlook and iphone. I manually changed/corrected the times for all future events in the iphone and then sync'd again (since outlook still had the correct times). Now I have many duplicate events with the correct and the incorrect (by about 5 hrs) in both outlook and iphone for the future events. Note, all previous events that I did not manually correct where left alone and still remain correctly timed in outlook but 5 hrs off in iphone. Help!

bobmva · 08-29-2007, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by johnc-onward

I ran into this problem with a client. It seems the iCal sync utility bombs if it runs into any calendar items with a blank "subject" line. To fix this easily in Outlook 2003, go to your calendar and change your "View" (under "Views" menu) to "all Appointments". Then delete or add a subject to any calendar entry without one. Then re-run the sync. Reset your view back to normal when done. John Onward Technologies (http://www.onwardtek.com)

My calendars have not synced for 90 days. I'm running XP and 2003. I followed this advice. Also archived my calendar pre 01/01/06. I left it in "All Active Appointments", performed a sync and started getting appointment reminders on my computer. All my dates are synced. Thank you.

btc · 08-29-2007, 10:09 PM

Just figured my problem out! Even though I did this before, I tried it again. If anyone is noticing that their calenders are syncing a few hours off from what is showing up in outlook (for me it was 5), do this:

Make sure your outlook and computer time zones are correct. Actually change the time zone and then change it back to the correct one. Now do the same thing on your iPhone. For me, even though the time was correct (I have date and time set automatically on) I had to turn time zone support off and then on again. When I did, "Houston" came on by itself (where I live). Next time I sync'd it was all perfect!