Were your batteries already dead when you changed them? They could have been dead for just long enough that you lost your data. There is a small-ish window when the batteries need to be changed. My older Palm went through batteries really quickly, but my current model (a Handspring) lasts a couple months between battery changes. You get used to knowing when it’s about time for a battery change and be able to swap before any problems happen.

Bec

This is not a glitch or mystery Fu…

With the older Palms that use AAA batteries, as long as you change the batteries before they go completely dead you shouldn’t lose any data. If you manage to run the batteries down to almost nothing, you should get a message that pops up on the screen that says something like:

WARNING: Batteries low. Hotsync and replace batteries now to avoid losing data.

Also, there is a capacitor (think of it as a small temporary battery) inside the device that holds up memory when you take the AAAs out. You need to change the batteries quickly, or the capacitor will discharge and the memory will be erased. One of my Palm IIIs has the following friendly reminder on a bright red sticker on the battery cover:

IMPORTANT: Device may lose data if batteries are removed for more than a minute.

The latest generation Palms (Tungsten E2, T5, Tx, Treo 650) use internal flash memory for storing user data, which will retain the data indefinitely with no battery power.

quote:

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Originally posted by Miata:
I thought that every time you hotsync, you create a full backup. If the battery looses everything including the OS, it will back up what was on the Palm at the last hotsync.

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You are correct about the hotsync creating a backup. But if you are in the field (or say in the middle of Montana on a week long trip, right Anne ) and let your batteries go dead, having a backup on your computer is not going to be very helpful…

wow I thought this was only a pocket pc issue. I rememeber a couple times when it mysteriously turned on in my caching bag and ran the batterys dead….. the only thing syncing with pc did was backup my files. all the software & settings I had were gone. after the second time this happened the device started to seemed pretty useless to me, so some ebay member is now the proud new owner of a pocket pc!

maybe someday I’ll get another paperless caching device, or even better would be they just make a GPS that can have full cache logs for each waypoint file.(I can dream can’t I?)

I’ve never had any issues with hotsync not synching the entire Palm, data, OS and software. That may be another difference between the Palm and windows OS PDAs.

I have had a couple instances of my PDA locking up (I believe it was because the power button was being pressed down for a long time – in my pocket) where only a hard reset would get it to do anything. Hotsync and it was back to normal.

We will likely be activating cachemate for my wife’s Palm so that if it happens while out caching we would have a backup. I keep all my cachemate files on the SD card, so we could move the card over and be good to go. (if we didn’t sync them both with the data initially)

I used to have a palm with AAA batteries, and as long as I changed them before they were totally dead I never lost any data in the PDA. And as long as I didn’t keep the batteries out too long. Make sure you have the replacements ready to put in before you take the old ones out.

While we complain about the gas prices… we aren’t as affected as many, being that we own two hybrid cars

Insight and Civic Hybrids. (60+ and 40+ mpg)

I just haven’t bothered to get it for hers yet. We will probably do that before we host the paperless event this weekend though. so far the turn out is small enough for lots of personal training.