Windows Mobile Device Center not available

November 30, 2006 @ 2:20 am- from Maui, Hawaii

And we’re back here again: I’m running Vista RTM with Office 2007 and my Windows Mobile SmartPhone still doesn’t want to sync. Mobile Device Center doesn’t appear to be all there – whenever I run it I get just the little dialog to prompts for sync connection information for USB, BlueTooth or DMA. The phone is installed and I get the file sync dialog each time, but there’s nothing I can do apparently to get Mobile Device Center and the synching to Outlook to work.

So, is Windows Mobile Device Center working? Installed? Available for Update from Windows Update? I’ve seen several messages that it comes down with Windows Update but alas, it’s not coming down for me…

Anybody got this working in Vista RTM?

This is the same story that was happening during the RC versions - the updates were supposedly available but just never actually came down to my machine. It seems this is two steps backwards - automatic updates are nice when they work, but being able to tell your machine that "this is what I need to install" in case Vista can't figure it out seems to be sorely lacking.

Posted in Vista SmartPhone

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re: Windows Mobile Device Center not available
by Sam Gentile November 30, 2006 @ 5:27 am

Hi Rick,

I just struggled with this for hours. Its not there on Windows Update or in the final product. I finally resolved it by downloading the Beta 3 of the MDC and installing it manually on RTM and now all is fine.

re: Windows Mobile Device Center not available
by Bill Walter November 30, 2006 @ 5:41 am

I am syncing a HP6925 Windows Mibile 5 Phone and a Dell Axim X50v Windows Mobile 5 with VISTA Ultimate RTM. I manually downloaded the WMDC Beta from Microsoft Windows Mobile.

I am syncing files, Onenote with the desktop and the mail directly with my Exchange Server using direct push.

I do have some problems from time to time when switching devices. WMDC only seems to talk to one device at a time. It picks up on the first one plugged in. Sometimes it will switch to the second device if the first one is unplugged.

There is a bug in the logon if you have device security turned on in that you cannot get it to save the code so you have to reenter the code every time you plug in your device or everytime you turn it on.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/devicecenter.mspx

Bill Walter

re: Windows Mobile Device Center not available
by Glyn Simpson November 30, 2006 @ 12:21 pm

Got the beta3 software off Microsoft Downloads. Needs more tweaking IMHO, but at least gets me partly synched.

re: Windows Mobile Device Center not available
by Rick Strahl November 30, 2006 @ 12:48 pm

Thanks Sam. Downloaded and installed Beta 3 of WMDM and it took 3 tries to get this installed and working. First locked up the device, second time aborted half way through trying to install the software on the device. Third time it went through... Painful, but it works now.

re: Windows Mobile Device Center not available
by Peter Bromberg November 30, 2006 @ 1:46 pm

Yeah, mine didn't come to life after the Beta 3 install until after I plugged in my Smartphone via USB cable. Apparently corporate customers bitched to MS about Bluetooth being a security risk and so they took it out. Otherwise, seems to work just like ActiveSync. Now I just need to write a little utility to kill the sucker out of the notification area when I don't need it.

re: Windows Mobile Device Center not available
by Rick Strahl November 30, 2006 @ 2:06 pm

Yeah it seems the icon should be gone when the device is not connected. It seems the WMD folks are always a little behind and their usability of the connectivity interfaces leave a bit to be desired. Don't get me started to trying to be able to debug an application on my live SmartPhone. Talk about making life ultra difficult...

re: Windows Mobile Device Center not available
by Rick Strahl November 30, 2006 @ 2:07 pm

Peter, BlueTooth does show up as one of the options in the connection dialog. I don't have any bluetooth devices, but does that not work?

DotNetSlackers: Windows Mobile Device Center not available
by DotNetSlackers Latest ASP.NET News December 01, 2006 @ 6:01 am

re: Windows Mobile Device Center not available
by Peter Bromberg December 01, 2006 @ 9:00 am

Rick,
I have not been able to get it to work. My understanding is that they had Bluetooth connectivity for devices (aka ActiveSync) in Betas, but corporate customers complained viz-a-viz security risks and so they took it out of RTM.

re: Windows Mobile Device Center not available
by Stuart Fischbach December 13, 2006 @ 7:43 pm

Nah; BUT4 synchronization, businesses could use Vista - BUT FORGET IT, til then. I have a Cingular 8125 Windows Mobile 5.0 smartphone, and I can file transfer okay, but the friggin' Windows Mobile Device synchronization RC3 is a hopeless P*O*S ... I'm guessing they'll RTM a working version a day before the January 30th release party. Till then, we're S*O*L.

re: Windows Mobile Device Center not available
by Alexi January 29, 2007 @ 9:05 am

Its a day before the 30th and I don't see an RTM... Unfortunatly I cant even Vista RTM to recognize the bloody 8125.

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