ActiveSync encountered a problem on the desktop error code 0x86000107

As I've now joined the ranks of people that have gotten this error code I thought I would document my attempts to fix it and hopefully this will save people some searching.

First off - it appears the cause of my problem was creating a partnership with a second PC. And the solution was posted here:
https://connect.microsoft.com/feedback/Workaround.aspx?FeedbackID=354634&SiteID=502

It sounds like this bug is specific to Windows Mobile 6.1. It also sounds like there is a fix available to phone manufactures but it is up to them to provide an update for your phone.

If the above doesn't do the trick try the steps below one at a time - hopefully one of them works. For each step, disconnect your device, follow the step and then retry synchronizing. This are collected from various posts online (most of which I tried).

1. Delete the 2nd partnership from your phone
Launch Active Sync on your phone while you're not connected to your PC, open the options and delete the second partnership if you have one.

2. Disable Advanced Networking
Start / Settings / Connections / USB to PC and unselect "Enable advanced network functionality". This worked for some, didn't help me.

3. Change Sync Settings from your desktop
Try unselecting Tasks, e-mail, etc and see if one of them is causing the problem. Note - if you unselect Contacts, e-mail, or Calendar it will remove all information of that type so uncheck the least important ones first. One user reported the problem went away when he created a new task on his phone - if you have no tasks and they're sycnronizing - give it a try.

4. Check Outlook on your desktop
Fully close Outlook and then open the Task Manager. See if there are any rogue instances of Outlook.exe running - if so - remove them.

5. Repair your PST file(s)
This is built into Outlook 2003 - for Outlook 2007 you'll need to run SCANPST.EXE which should be located in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12. You'll likely have to manually select your PST file. Reboot and resync.

If none of these work we're getting into more drastic steps

6. Re-install Windows Mobile Device Center or ActiveSync
Find the latest version and re-install

7. Delete your Partnership
From both your device and from your sync software - delete the partnership. This likely means you'll lose any changes you've made from your device.

8. Create a new PST file in Outlook
Requires some working knowledge of outlook. Create a new PST file, set it as default and then try importing all of the data from your previous PST file. This should have the same effect as running SCANPST.EXE but some reported this worked. Reboot and re-sync.

9. Re-install Outlook
Shouldn't be necessary if you've followed the above steps but now we're trying to remove all possible culprits.

10. Hard Reset your phone
When all else fails - start over. Not a pleasant option. Check your manual for instructions on how to hard reset your phone. And please note, a hard reset will remove all installed data and applications - your phone with be returned to an "out of the box" state.


Good Luck!

The Elusive Mail applet in Vista 64

I just wanted to make a quick post for anyone else who has had a tough time trying to find the "Mail" Control Panel applet on Vista 64. (and I assume this will also apply to other 64 bit Microsoft OSs).

I was setting up access to an exchange server yesterday for Outlook 2007. As you may already know, this needs to be done while Outlook is fully closed and should be set up by using the Mail applet in the Control Panel.

On Vista 64 bit Edition, this icon is no longer present in the Control Panel. Because this applet is a 32 bit applet instead of 64 - it gets hidden away with other 32 applets.

To find the Mail item - you simply need to click on the icon labelled "View 32-bit Control Panel Items" in the Control Panel. If you don't see this entry, you'll need to change the view in the Control Panel to "Classic View". This can be done by clicking the appropriately named link in the top left of the Window.

A Quick Tip for sorting your e-mail in Outlook

I recently discovered (or thought to try) a simple technique to improve sorting e-mails in Outlook. I'm currently using Outlook 2007 but I'm sure this will work on older versions.

Typically, I would sort my e-mails by the sender. Ie, I create a rule that automatically moves all e-mails sent from joe@somecompany.com to my SomeCompany folder. And then I might have a second rule that moves all e-mails from jane@somecompany.com. Of course the problem with this is you can end up creating dozens of rules just for one company.

It finally occurred to me to try and sort by the company domain itself - "somecompany.com". As it turns out this is very easy. Create a new rule and click on the "Advanced Options" button. Now, the condition you want to check for is "with specific words in the senders address". Now simply add the domain name as a specific word, move onto the next step and sort as you wish.

I hope you find this tip useful.