[Ioranna]

Hi,

I have a macbook, running both mac os and windows xp os. For work, I HAVE to run my work database on the pc side of my mac, forcing me to use outlook to sync with my database (won't work with the mac os). From there, I used to sync my cell phone (old palm treo 600, with sprint) with outlook on the pc side of the mac.
Now I have bought a blackberry curve with verizon. I have installed destop manager 4.7 from bb and unistalled palm hotsync, so that there are no conflicts.
I want to sync my outlook running on windows xp/vmware with my new verizon curve 8300 (calendar, notes, adressbook, etc..). I used to be able to do it fine with my old palm, but for some reason, I get this error message from VMware when I plug in the usb from my bb:
"The device "Research In Motion RIM Composite Device" was unable to connect to its ideal host controller.
An attempt will be made to connect this device to the best available host controller. This may result in an undefined behavior for this device."

after that, the vmware screen goes black, until I click ok. when I click ok, the screen comes back to where it was, and windows xp and desktop manager (dm) recognize the curve on the usb. I can go into dm and set up the sync parameters with outlook and the device. but when I hit the sync button, nothing happens.

Since I also have gone to vmware settings/usb devices, and checked "enable usb 2.0 support" as suggested in other forums, but it doesn't seem to help either. Getting desperate...

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I'm starting to despair I will ever be able to use my bb curve. I have seen people on this forum say they are able to do this, but nowhere have I seen instruction on how to make it work. I hope this forum will be the place.
thanks in advance
--H

[Ioranna]

mmm, I'm afraid there aren't many takers for this question it looks like.

I'm wondering if it is just that it cannot be done and I should just forget about it, or that it is too complicated or unusual, and that nobody out there knows the answer.
Either way, thank you for looking into this, I really appreciate any feedback.
best

[darioc]

Can't help you with VMWare, but I successfully sync my 8330 on Parallels running on my intel iMac.

[Ioranna]

Thanks Darioc, at least there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel.

[darioc]

Worst case scenario, you could use BootCamp or Parallels instead of VMWare...

[Ioranna]

true, but I'd really prefer to make it work with VMWare (don't want to use bootcamp for sure), there has to be a way, especially if it works with Parallels. thanks though.

[Ioranna]

New development on this issue: Bryan and JLevy73 from blackberryos.com recommended the following, I thought I would share this with you guys and see if anyone had any ideas. I really want to get this thing to work.

Their suggestion:

"With VMware off, click Virtual Machine then settings then USB devices. Make sure the following are both checked:

1. Enable USB 2.0 support
2. Automatically connect USB devices

If you not already done so Install VMware tools.

"

My results:

"

all right. So I did go through your instructions, and realized that I
had not before installed the vmware tools, so I did that. I also made
sure that both boxes below are checked:
1. Enable USB 2.0 support
2. Automatically connect USB devices

I restarted xp on vmware, and connected the bb via usb.


the good news: the screen didn't go black and I didn't get the error
message "The device "Research In Motion RIM Composite Device" was
unable to connect to its ideal host controller." So my hart started
racing: did we solve this issue and will I be able to sync?


The bad news: even though the bb is connected via the usb (showing as
connected), the bb desktop manager does not pick it up (device conneced
pin: None , and dm status "not connected"). Also, in the bb dm, under
configure synchronization tab, both the synchronization and the view
log button are unclick-able (light grey).

The irony is that when I was getting the error message, after clicking ok, the bb dm was picking up the device's pin.

So Bryan and Jlevy73, I am affraid we are back to square one. I thank
you both greatly for your research, and if you have any other idea's or
suggestions, I'm all ears.
Also, if anyone out there has an idea of how to solve this, I will gladly listen.
thanks
Ioranna

"

Any VMWare/blackberry guru's out there, I'm all hears and I am grateful for your imput.

[Ioranna]

Latest update: I talked to the verizon tech support team yesterday night, they couldn't do anything, so they transfered me to the blackberry tech support, who told me that they did not provide support for macs running windows xp via vmware. back to square one.

at this time, with the virtualmachine/settings/usb devices - enable 2.0 support and automatically connect usb devices checked, and the vmware tools installed, I do not get the error message "unable to connect to ideal host controler", but also the bbdm4.7 does not pick up the usb device even though virlualmachine/usb shows "disconnect rim device"., indicating that the mac and pc are picking up the device...

not sure where to go from here, so let me know if you guys come up with anything

thanks

[Ioranna]

case closed, problem solved. thanks to all who helped. for those wondering, it was just a matter of going into the device manager on xp and troubleshoot the usb port that wasn't working. Cheers