PC Sync works in one direction only

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ulirk
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PC Sync works in one direction only

Post by ulirk »

PC Sync works in one direction only

EssentialPIM 6.09
on Android Ver. 13
Last Update Dez. 5th
Hardware OPPO Find X3
ColorOS 13.0
Qualcomm SDM765G 5G / 8 GB Ram
Build CPH2145VF_11_F.62

EssentialPIM Free 11.1.11
Name Microsoft Windows 7 Professional
Service Pack 1
Version 6.1.7601

Synchronization with OPPO CPH2145
Sync Target: Notes
Sync Option: 2-Way (EPIM and Android synchronize each other)

Here is my question:

Next to the entry 'Synchronization Option (PRO)' within the synchronization settings is the default option '2-Way 'Synchronize EPIM and Android with each other'.

But the sync only works towards Android. However, the entries I made to the notes module of Android are not transferred from the Android to the Windows version. I remember reading in an earlier thread here in the forum that one should delete or rename an INI file somewhere to get the sync problem under control by an update installation.

Is this procedure still valid, or do I have to try another solution (if there is one)?
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Re: PC Sync works in one direction only

Post by admin »

We're unable to reproduce the problem. Please update to EPM 11.2.1 and see if that makes the difference. Thanks!
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ulirk
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Re: PC Sync works in one direction only

Post by ulirk »

admin wrote: Wed Jan 11, 2023 6:39 pm We're unable to reproduce the problem. Please update to EPM 11.2.1 and see if that makes the difference. Thanks!
Despite the update of the Windows version to 11.2.1 yesterday, the "synchronization" of the notes worked again only towards Android.

The workflow was as follows:

First, I tried to initialize the sync from the PC and then saw the program's popup message that the process should be started from the Android device. This popup had not been presented to me during my previous attempts.

I then started the process using PC-Sync from my Android device. A popup appeared on the OPPO unit indicating the start of the session. However, a similar dialog box indicating a connection to the Android version did not appear on Windows. This was also different from the previous attempts. The only way I was able to track any attempt of EPIM to sync anything was its increased CPU activity on Windows through the operating system's process manager. It took about 30 minutes to transfer 1068 entries of notes (268.3 MB) to Android. A progress bar, as seen on the PC monitor on previous attempts when initialized on Windows, was not displayed on the OPPO. As before, there was only a rotating logo that indicated the ongoing supposed sync process by the app. In order not to disturb the ongoing task with other operations and to ensure optimal RAM and processor usage for both devices, I did not start or run any other programs or apps on either operating system (except for the two mandatory background applications Avira Security on Windows and Kaspersky on Android).

After the "synchronization" was finished, the rotation logo disappeared from the Android display. However, an error message appeared on Windows at that moment, saying that the connection had been interrupted and that I should try again. After checking which data had been transferred from which device to where, it was again apparent that no complete synchronization had taken place, but only a one-way transfer.

Since a data match with Google on Win's OS only works by means of EPIM's PRO release, I can therefore say with certainty that no synchronization could or can take place with the Free variant via their cloud service through the "back door." But before I consider buying a PRO license, I want to be sure that EPIM works as promised on both systems. By the way, the fact that EPIM includes a backup and sync function to Google Drive was one of the main reasons why I chose to install the app on Android as well.

Both operating systems share the same local WLAN access. There was no interruption of the connection during the transfer which would have otherwise been indicated by the windows network monitoring system.

I also wonder if a future version of EPIM could provide a direct USB connection to bridge this kind of problem, at least occasionally for incidents like these.

On my wish list for upcoming versions, I would certainly also appreciate improved visual feedback during the synchronization process. A progress bar, as seen on Windows, is in my opinion insufficient when it seems to freeze motionless at some position and does not additionally show which files are actually being transferred at the given moment. A rotating logo on Android only gives the impression of a warning that EPIM cannot be used and conveys even less information content. There should also be an accurate graphical indication of exactly which files are being transferred to which device. Logging the process with clear statements would also be nice and certainly helpful for error tracing.

I'd be grateful for any other tips and help with this particular issue.


Edit: Reading through older threads about synchronization, I noticed that error logs are indeed created. My mistake!

Attached is the log of the program's action before installing the update to version 11.2.1. Interestingly, the log states that an error still occurred on version EssentialPIM 11.1.11. However, there exists an error log of the program after the update to the 11.2.1 version. Due to the size (?) of the AndroidSync file 2023_01_11_22_27_51 (460.864 KB / which was created after the update installation) it is not possible for me to view it. The Windows text editor refused to open this file and froze.

Error_2023_01_11_22_24_54.log
(3.04 KiB) Downloaded 75 times


Since the sync log probably contains information about personal data, I do not want to post it here. The error file from the same evening (created before the update) does not show any conclusion about the sync error.
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Re: PC Sync works in one direction only

Post by admin »

Let's see if the number of notes and their size has something to do with the issue. You can copy-paste say 1/3 of your notes into the new EPIM database file, then add Android sync and check if the sync is going to work as expected.

BTW you can also try to use a direct USB connection (https://www.essentialpim.com/help/synch ... _cable.htm), although I doubt it's the reason for the problem here.
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ulirk
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Re: PC Sync works in one direction only

Post by ulirk »

admin wrote: Thu Jan 12, 2023 3:29 pm Let's see if the number of notes and their size has something to do with the issue. You can copy-paste say 1/3 of your notes into the new EPIM database file, then add Android sync and check if the sync is going to work as expected.
No successful synchronization after creating a new and smaller database! :cry:


As recommended, I created a new database with about 600 note entries and initialized the PC sync process from the Android system. It took about 1 hour and 20 minutes while I watched the respective status popups on the Windows and cell phone displays to determine how the task was progressing.

This time, the progress bar appeared once again on Windows. During the first 50 minutes, it was apparent from reading the system explorer that EPIM was actually doing something. Initially, it indicated a CPU load of 17 to 25 percent and memory consumption of a moderate 400K. Finally, the memory load grew up to 1,500,000 K (about 35% of the available RAM). During the last 25 minutes, the CPU meter hardly showed anything for EPIM's operations. Yet, it seemed that program and app were still synchronizing, because both the progress bar (frozen) on Windows and the rotating logo popup on Android continued to show the status of data synchronization. After 1 hour and 20 minutes, I called up a second application on the Android system. Apparently, this caused the interruption of the process. The logo disappeared from the phone's display (without giving a clue as to what and why) and on Windows, the error message appeared, which I had also seen the day before "The connection was interrupted. Try again."

Since the prompt window did not close by itself, but only by pressing the 'Cancel' button, I did the only thing left and aborted the entire Sync process. To me, it appeared that the process had been already killed due to a disconnection anyway. It then took about another 5 minutes for that message box to close while CPU and mem usage rose up once more.

Checking the new database entries on Windows and Android revealed that, again, only a one-way transfer from Windows to Android had taken place.

The Windows AndroidSync_2023_01_13_09_38_31 log file is only 1 kb in size and contains no entries except for the start date, the port used, and the IP address. Yesterday it was too big, today it is too small. Was it because the final abort process could not generate a complete sync log?

I am now wondering how to get to the EPIM log on the Android system (if one exists and if that would be helpful). I tried yesterday to find out where such data is stored on the OS, but I don't see how to access the corresponding subdirectory under 'Android > Devices' as was suggested on the internet. Apparently, there is no easy way to access to it on my mobile.

I have not yet attempted a full 2-way sync via USB. I will only consider this if it turns out that there is no other solution left.
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Re: PC Sync works in one direction only

Post by admin »

What was the database size? Try lowering the number of notes to, say 100, will that make any difference? And you might need to exit EPIM first in order to get all the detailes from the last session recorded into the log file.
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