Is there a connection test that can be done if my handheld is not synchronizing?

How to verify your Windows environment is properly setup for Handheld communication

BarScan contains a utility to detect the status of many relevant windows settings and can correct issues related to them.  The following article will help you locate this utility screen, understand it and use it to correct some windows issues it may have detected.  This utility is compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 11.  When completed with the below fix, you must reboot the computer to finalize the changes and then you can perform the normal BarScan Synchronization.

Note to users accessing BarScan through a remote application such as Citrix Remote Desktop

BarScan cannot perform the following connection test through a remote application since it cannot see the local computer and therefore cannot diagnose it.  However, you can copy the BarScan application and files from the server to the local drive and perform the test to diagnose and correct the issue.  Once corrected, it is very important to delete the local copy of BarScan so that you do not accidently use its database.

How to access the utility screen

The utility screen is accessed through the Sync dialog.

1: Display the Sync dialog. Either,

A: Click on the ‘Sync Handheld’ button in the Sync toolbar, OR
B: Select menu item File/Open/Handheld Computer/Synchronize, OR
C: Press the keystroke combination Alt+S.

2: Select the ‘More >>’ button on the right-hand side to expand the screen.

3: Select the ‘Debug’ check box near the right hand side bottom of the screen.  Selecting it will put a check mark next to it and several items will appear.  Among them is the ‘Windows 10 tests and fixes’ button. The screen will look similar to the following:

4: Select the ‘Windows 10 tests and fixes’ button as shown below:

If you are testing the connection to a different BarScan workstation, enter its IP address in the text box ‘Ip Address (leave blank for this PC)’, otherwise leave it blank.   Most of the time leaving it blank is the desired state, since most testing is for the current workstation.

The Windows 10 Tests and Fixes screen will display. It will look similar to the following:

Understanding the Screen

When BarScan displays the Windows 10 Tests and Fixes screen, it has ALREADY run all of the tests to determine the status of the listed items. The screen is structured as an outline, with related tests grouped together, and these group categories into two main sections

1. Required for essential Services
2. Optional

Each section in turn has several groups of tests, some containing only one test, some containing several tests. For example, in the ‘Required for essential operation’ section, there are groups:

A. WMDC related Windows Services
B. Windows 10 Registry
C. Windows Mobile Device Center (WMDC)

Within each group are individual tests. For example, in the ‘WMDC related Windows Services’ group there are:

…DCOM Server Process Launcher
…RPC Endpoint Mapper
…Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
…Windows Mobile-2003-based device connectivity
…Windows Mobile-based device connectivity

To get more information on the individual test, select the test by clicking on it then examine its detail information in the ‘Detail’ section. You can resize the screen to be able to view more if needed. The information in the Detail section is broken up into three (3) parts.

To Do:

These are specific directions on how to solve the problem OUTSIDE of BarScan. There are often multiple ways to resolve a problem and this will give you at least one of them. However, it is recommended that you allow BarScan to attempt to resolve the problem, since that will be much easier for you.

Auxiliary Information:

This will be information unique to this test that will help you understand what has gone wrong. For example, if a service is not running, a file is missing or a port is having issues, here it will give you exact information to track it down.

Background:

This will explain why the item that this test checks is important to BarScan and help you understand a little better about why the auxiliary information is important.

Resolving Problems

BarScan tests indicate problems by highlighting them in color. For example, required items indicate problems by highlighting the test in RED. Items highlighted in red MUST be resolved for BarScan to be able to perform a Sync operation. Most tests do not require special privileges to determine whether there is a problem, but to correct problems always requires that the user be a BarScan Master User and almost always requires that BarScan be launched ‘As an administrator’ (meaning that a Windows user with Administrative privileges must launch BarScan ‘as an administrator’). For you convenience this status is displayed in the screen by two check boxes.

You can allow BarScan to attempt to resolve ALL displayed problems with one button click by clicking on the ‘Fix or Run All as needed’ button, or you can fix them one at a time.

To resolve problems one at a time, perform the following steps:

1: Click on the highlighted test.
2: Examine the ‘Detail’ information to understand why there is a problem.
3: Resolve the problem by selecting one of the following options:

A: Make sure the test has been selected, then click on or select the ‘Fix or Run Current Item’ button. Follow any resulting instructions. This is especially important if it tells you to reboot. This generally means that the fix will not actually be implemented until your workstation is rebooted.

OR

B: Double click on the colorized test. Follow any resulting instructions. This is especially important if it tells you to reboot. This generally means that the fix will not actually be implemented until your workstation is rebooted.

OR

C: Examine the TODO instructions in the Detail information and follow them. This means that you will try to fix the problem manually without BarScan assistance. Note there that there are often many ways to resolve issues. The TODO instructions will give you at least one way to do this.

Once you have completed your fixes, click on or select the ‘Refresh’ button. This will rerun all tests to see if there are any remaining issues.

Raw Data

The raw data can sometimes be helpful diagnosing a particularly difficult problem. BarScan allows access to the raw test data. The data displayed on the screen is normally the Test Summary. But other diagnostic data can be displayed by select other types of data to display. The following are available:

Tcp Activity – Lists Tcp connection information on the workstation, including port numbers and whether the port has an ESTABLISHED connection or is LISTENING or is CLOSED.
Processes -Lists current running processes. Similar to what is seen with the Task Manager.
Services -Lists currently loaded services with their status and run state.
Tests – Lists the combined results from which the Test Summary is taken.

Log File

When the test is completed, BarScan writes a Log File which contains the results of the test. The file is located in the BarScanwSysuser folder.  As you can see from the screen above the Log Files begin with the name ‘BsRdrLog’ followed by the date and time of the test.  In the screen below, the file is:

BsRdrLog_2020-07-27T10_27_52.log

 

After the test is completed, please provide the log file to us as an email attachment. Our email address is: techsupport@barscan.com

You can also use our Secure File Upload page on our website here:
https://www.barscan.com/support

Administrator Mode 

Assuming all other registry and Services problems have been resolved, the first step should be to restart BarScan in Administrator mode.  If the connection issues disappear, then the issue is one of Application or User privileges.  If this is the case, then this is not a BarScan issue, so please consult your IT department.

 

 

 

 

What If The Connection Test Freezes? 

It is likely a Windows Security or Privileges problem, even if BarScan is started as administrator.  In this case, whatever operation is needed must be done manually.   There is a Knowledge Base on manually registering the mswinsck.ocx and mscomm32.ocx.

WMDC Settings

If all of the above items do not resolve your issue, adjust your WMDC settings to those shown below.

WMDC Not Installed Prior to Running Windows Tests And Fixes. 

If you see the following screen during the Windows Tests and Fixes, it means that you did not install Microsoft WMDC.  WMDC must be installed prior to running the Tests and Fixes.  Exit BarScan and install Microsoft WMDC: