Windows Mobile Device Center troubleshooting guide |
| The Windows Mobile Device Center enables you to set up new partnerships, synchronize content and manage music, pictures and video with Windows Mobile devices (Windows Mobile 2003 or later). The Windows Mobile Device Center 6.1 is only supported on Windows Vista and Windows 7.
In some specific cases, a Windows Mobile device connecting to a PC running Windows Mobile Device Center may experience compatibility or installation problems. This guide will describe the known issues, and how you can resolve them. |
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| Why isn’t Windows Mobile Device Center launching after installation?
Make sure your device is connected to the PC first. A splash screen will display when Windows Mobile Device Center first loads, indicating that Windows Mobile Device Center is starting. Why can’t I install ActiveSync on Windows Vista?
Windows Mobile Device Center is the replacement application for ActiveSync on Windows Vista. Are there any specific things I need to do after upgrading from Windows XP to Windows Vista?
If you previously had a partnership in ActiveSync on Windows XP, you will need to re-establish your partnership after an upgrade to Windows Vista. How can I add or remove third-party programs on my device?
You must install Windows Mobile Device Center to be able to install or remove applications on your device. What is the difference between Sync Center and Windows Mobile Device Center?
Sync Center provides a summary view of any partnership you have created with your PC, including any Windows Mobile partnerships. Windows Mobile Device Center is the application used to create and drill down into your partnerships with Windows Mobile devices. Why can’t I set up my wireless sync schedule in Windows Mobile Device Center?
This feature is not available in Windows Mobile Device Center. You can set up your wireless sync schedule on the device. Why can’t I backup and restore my mobile device data? This feature is only available for Windows Mobile 2003 devices. Why can’t I sync Windows mail, calendar or contacts?
Windows Mobile Device Center only supports synchronization with Microsoft Outlook or Exchange. We currently do not support synchronization with Windows Mail, Windows Calendar or the Windows Address book. Can I connect for the first time via Bluetooth or IR?
The initial connection between your device and the desktop WMDC application needs to happen with a cable. After that initial connection, you will be able to set up Bluetooth and IR for future connections. Why am I unable to check PIM types in Change Content Settings for my Windows Mobile 2003 partnerships? If you have a partnership with a Windows Mobile 2003 device, you are unable to check E-mail, Contacts, Calendar, Tasks in Change Content Settings. You can uncheck them but you can never check them. Does Windows Mobile Device Center 6.1 support silent-mode installation? Yes, Windows Mobile Device Center can be distributed and installed silently without user intervention by the system administrator. This whitepaper provides the instructions on deploying Windows Mobile Device Center 6.1 across multiple clients.
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| My device is not able to connect.
There are several cases that may prevent your device from connecting: Windows Mobile Device Center doesn’t work on my 64-bit PC.
If you have installed Windows Mobile Device Center on 64-bit Windows Vista and had previously installed and used Windows Mobile Device Center, you may need to manually install Windows Mobile Device Center a second time to successfully update it. My device wasn’t connected during this installation.
While it is not a strict requirement that you have a device connected during the installation process of Windows Mobile Device Center, we highly recommend that you do. My device was connected while I was installing but Windows Mobile Device Center is not launching after installation.
In some cases after an upgrade, you will need to disconnect and reconnect the device for Windows Mobile Device Center to launch. I declined the licensing agreement (EULA) and now I can’t launch Windows Mobile Device Center.
You will need to accept the EULA for Windows Mobile Device Center to run. To proceed, simply disconnect and reconnect your device to accept the EULA. The EULA can be read at any time through the Windows Mobile Center’s Help Menu. I can’t save changes to my folder hierarchy in WMDC’s folder settings.
Check to see if any of your folder names have quotes. If so, remove the quotes from the folder names and try again. My external storage card on my device is not available when syncing with Windows Media Player. If you try to synchronize a Microsoft Windows Mobile 5-based device with AKU 2.3 or a later AKU with Microsoft Windows Media Player 11, only the internal storage on the device may be available as a synchronization target in Windows Media Player. A hotfix for this issue is available for download here. I am getting disconnected while trying to sync large files to my device.
If you are having problems syncing music, pictures, or other large files where the connection suddenly closes, you may be hitting a serial driver bug on the device. Unless you are using VPNs or specific firewalls, you may try switching your device into RNDIS mode to fix your large file sync problem. If your device has the “USB to PC” option, you may use this workaround: On the device, go to Settings, Connections, and look for "USB to PC" option. Go into the “USB to PC” option To enable RNDIS USB, check the “Enable advanced network functionality” checkbox and then, OK. Note – if it’s already checked, do not uncheck or this workaround will not work for you. Warm boot the device (push and hold the power button, hit the reset button, or pull the battery). Power the device back on. Once the device is booted up, dock and try again. Note – RNDIS does have a bit more wait time when connecting. Please be patient for the device to connect. If after you do the workaround and you cannot connect at all, then simply switch back to Serial USB to sync.
Sync does not start after partnership creation.
Sometimes, if you do a clean install of Windows Mobile Device Center, the install does not finish adding and enabling the necessary firewall exceptions for Windows Mobile Device Center on your PC. Go to Start > Run > firewall.cpl Choose “Allow a Program through the Windows Firewall” Check all entries that have “Windows Mobile” in the name
The Motorola Q phone cannot connect to Windows Vista via Bluetooth
The Motorola Q uses the Broadcom Bluetooth stack which has a fundamental issue that does not allow it to connect to Windows XP and Windows Vista.
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| | On Windows Vista Server “Longhorn”, the desktop experience feature must be installed for Windows Mobile Device Center to work.
You must first install the desktop experience feature in order to get the full features available in Windows Mobile Device Center. Go to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Server Manager The Server Manager UI will open. According to the Role Summary pane, only the File Server role is installed. The Desktop Experience feature within the File Server role must be installed.
Go to the Feature Summary pane and click on the 'Add Features' link indicated by the green arrow button. The Add Features Wizard will open
Check 'Desktop Experience'. Click Next, then Install. The installation progress for Desktop Experience is displayed.
Close the wizard and Server Manager UI. Re-open the Server Manager UI to confirm that 'Desktop Experience' was actually installed.
The credentials dialog keeps appearing when connecting to Windows Vista Server “Longhorn”.
When connecting a non-IRM activated Windows Mobile 6.0 device to default configurations of Windows Vista Server “Longhorn” machines with Information Rights Management installed, the “Connect to ” credentials dialog may be displayed. Enter your user credentials in the dialog and click OK. The credentials dialog will not show up again unless you log off and then back on. Under the Mobile Device Settings menu in Windows Mobile Device Center, choose to activate Information Rights Management. Once IRM has been activated on the device, the credentials dialog will not show up again for that device.
Windows Mobile Device Center fails to connect due to the Windows Portable Device driver failing to load.
In some cases, you may be unable to connect and only a red X error icon is displayed in Windows Mobile Device Center. This can be caused by Windows Portable Device driver failing to load. Connect your device Go to Manager (Computer > Properties) Find the Portable Devices node Locate the Windows Mobile device entry Choose to uninstall the driver Reconnect your device
I can't sync over Bluetooth.
Follow the instructions below to setup your Bluetooth connection. Ensure that you have plugged a Bluetooth dongle into your PC and that the drivers have been installed successfully. Log on as a user with administrative privileges on the local machine and Go to Start->Control Panel->Hardware and Sound->Bluetooth Devices. Select the ‘Options’ tab in the Bluetooth Devices control panel and check the ‘Allow Bluetoooth devices to find this computer’ check box. Click ‘OK’ and close out the control panel window. Launch Windows Mobile Device Center and click Mobile Device Settings -> Connection settings. Ensure that “Allow connections to one of the following:” is checked and that “Bluetooth” is selected in the drop down list box. Click ‘OK’. On the device, Open ActiveSync and select ‘Menu -> Connect via Bluetooth’. Click ‘Yes’ when asked if you would like to set up a partnership now. For Windows Mobile Powered Pocket PC Phone Edition Devices: Click ‘New Partnership’ For Windows Mobile Powered smartphones: Select ‘Menu -> New’. The device will perform a search for Bluetooth devices within range. Select the name of your PC when it shows up in the list and click ‘Next’. If the name of your PC does not show up on the list, return to step 3 and verify that your PC Bluetooth dongle is discoverable. Enter a passkey at the device prompt and click ‘Next’. Look on your desktop PCs screen and click on the new bubble which pops up stating “A Bluetooth device is attempting to connect with your computer”. In the ‘Add Bluetooth Device Wizard’ on your PC, enter the same passkey that you entered on your device and click ‘Next’. For Windows Mobile Powered Pocket PC Phone Edition Devices: On the device, ensure that the ‘ActiveSync’ check box has appeared and is checked in the list of services. Click ‘Finish’. For Windows Mobile Powered smartphones: Click ‘Next’ in the Display Name window, ensure that ‘ActiveSync’ check box has appeared and is checked in the list of services. Click ‘Done’. Click ‘OK’ and ‘Done’. On the PC, click ‘Finish’ in the ‘Add Bluetooth Device Wizard’. On the device, open ActiveSync (if it’s not already open) and select ‘Menu -> Connect via Bluetooth’. The device should now connect with Windows Mobile Device Center. To disconnect, on the device select ‘Menu -> Disconnect.
I can't sync using a serial cable.
If you absolutely must sync using a serial cable (not serial over USB) and can’t use a USB cable, follow the instructions below. You must have administrative privileges. In Windows Mobile Device Center, go to “Connection settings” under “Mobile Device Settings”. Make sure the box is checked that says “Allow connections to one of the following:” (should probably say Bluetooth in the drop down). Click Ok. Click the Windows icon to open the start menu. Type in ‘regedit’ in the start menu. Navigate to: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows CE Services Click on the Windows CE Services entry, you should see a number of registry settings on the right appear – the two you need to change will be ‘SerialPort’ and ‘SerialBaudRate’. Double Click on ‘SerialPort’. Change the Value Data field to “COM1” or “COM2” (depending on which serial port you want to use). Click OK. Double Click on ‘SerialBaudRate’. Enter the baud rate your device communicates at (default is 115200 – you may not need to change it). Click OK. Close the Registry Editor.
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