Synchronising mailbox with Windows Mobile 5

[substitute]

This is a long shot, but here is my problem.

I have 3 users with Windows Mobile 5 smartphones for about a year. These use "over the air" activesync to monitor the owners Exchange 2003 mailboxes. Three weeks ago they all developed the same problem. Having started from a brand new clean smartphone I've now narrowed it down to this:

If the user is away from the office "push email" doesn't work at all. "Send/Receive" works to a point. It connects, sees a number of emails in the mailbox, but doesn't download any. As the day progresses the number of emails it sees increases in line with incoming mail. It also doesn't download marked emails and attachments.

If the user logs on to a PC and opens their mailbox in Outlook the smartphone (wherever it is) almost immediately synchronises completely without user intervention. Presumably the push function does this. New email arriving in the mailbox appears on the smartphone. In this state "send/receive" works perfectly as well

If someone else opens the user's mailbox in their Outlook, emails they read or mark unread get updated on the smartphone but no other new emails get downloaded. Marked attachments get downloaded on send/receive.

The activesync settings are correct - sync as items arrive both peak and off-peak and use settings while roaming.

As I said, this just started happening 3 weeks ago and it affects all smartphones syncing to this server. I can't identify any change to the server at that time but it MUST be the server...

Any ideas?

Ian

 

[substitute]

I've still not found a resolution to this problem so am in the process of purchasing Blackberry phones (which work fine with OWA/Activesync) instead.

Shame Microsoft can't make Windows Mobile work as well with Exchange as RIM can make Blackberry work!

Ian

 

[mofusjtf]

I had a problem originally with my Motorola Q. It turned out to be my contacts. I had over 1500 contacts and the original sync completed but subsequent synchronizations kept failing on everything (mail, calendar, etc.) I turned synch off for my Contacts since they don't change too often and then all has worked great since. I think it might have to do with the number of items being synchronized that causes the issue.

And let me know how it works with Blackberry and OWA? I think you might need your service provider (Verizon, Sprint, etc.) to set the Blackberry in a BIS/BES dual mode so it will work with OWA; otherwise you will need BES for your devices. I just recently learned of this so it might be worth asking.

 

[substitute]

I did wonder about things like mailbox size, but the fact all users hit the same problem together, even though some have huge mailboxes and other tiny ones suggests otherwise.

As for OWA, I have several users on Blackberry and as long as the service provider sets them up for internet mail rather than corporate server they work a treat. Only problem is that they don't really synchronise, they just download, so if you leave it on in the office you get to read your email twice.

Thanks for responding

Ian