SyncPak User Manual

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright SyncPak™, Inc. February 2003

 

 

SyncPak, Inc. periodically updates its software to remain current with market demands and to implement feature upgrades and fixes. Therefore, SyncPak cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information and illustrations contained in this document after the date of publication.

This document is for instructional and informational purposes only. This document is subject to the copyright laws of the United States. You may not reproduce, redistribute or modify this document in any way without the express, written consent of SyncPak, Inc.

THIS DOCUMENT IMPLIES NO LICENSING RIGHTS OR WARRANTIES FOR ANY PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN.

SyncPak and SyncPad are trademarks of SyncPak, Inc. Microsoft Outlook, Palm and PocketPC are registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers.

SyncPak, Inc., 26452 San Torini Road, Mission Viejo CA, 92692-6100, USA  http://www.syncpak.com

Introduction  4

Basic System Requirements  4

Installation  5

Setting Up SyncPak Software  7

Using SyncPak Modules and the SyncPad Import Utility  10

SyncPad Control Menu  11

Configuring SyncPad Preferences  12

Checking for Available SyncPak Module Updates  13

Retrieving and Importing SyncPak Module Updates  13

Renewing Your SyncPak Module Subscription  14

Removing Expired Modules  14

Troubleshooting  15

Support 16

Notes  17

 

Information is essential. Timely information is critical.

SyncPak™ software lets you access the most up-to-the-minute economic news, market analysis, and sports and entertainment information and delivers it directly to your Microsoft® Outlook® calendar. And with your Palm® or PocketPC® handheld device, you can take the information with you wherever you go.

For more information on what SyncPak can do for you or your company, visit our website at http://www.syncpak.com.

Basic System Requirements

Microsoft Windows® 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP
Internet connection
466/66MHz PC
8MB memory (16MB recommended)

And at least one of the following:

Microsoft Outlook 97/2000/2002
Palm handheld device
PocketPC

NOTE: The way you access downloaded SyncPak Module Updates varies depending on the applications and handheld device(s) you have installed on your system. Read the “Scenarios” section and follow the instructions that correspond to your system/device configuration.

2Installation

Setup is quick and easy!

First, you need to download the desired module from the SyncPak website. Go to http://www.syncpak.com/downloads.html to view a list of available SyncPak modules.

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ BEFORE INSTALLING

Please read the following scenarios for instructions relating to your system/device configuration.

Scenario 1     If you have Microsoft Outlook 97/2000/2002 and a handheld device on your system, follow Step 6 in “Setting Up SyncPak Software”.

Scenario 2     If you have Microsoft Outlook 97/2000/2002 on your system, and NO handheld device, follow Step 6 in “Setting Up SyncPak Software”.

Scenario 3     If you do not have Microsoft Outlook 97/2000/2002 installed, but you do have a handheld device, place a check mark next to “Palm SyncPak Module” or the “PocketPC SyncPak Module” (depending on your device) in Step 6 of “Setting Up SyncPak Software”.

Scenario 4     If you have Microsoft Outlook installed, and you have a handheld device, but you do not have a synchronization conduit for your device installed, place a check mark next to both the “OUTLOOK SyncPak Module” and the “PALM SyncPak Module” or “POCKETPC SyncPak Module” (depending on your device) Step 6 of “Setting Up SyncPak Software”.

Consult your device’s user manual for more information on “synchronization conduits”.

Scenario 5     If you do not have Microsoft Outlook 97/2000/2002 installed, and you do not have a handheld device such as a Palm or PocketPC, you will not be able to access SyncPak Module Updates.
Downloading SyncPak Modules

1         Click the desired SyncPak Module link from the SyncPak website

The File Download Window opens (Figure 2.1, below.)

Figure 2.1

2         Click Save to save the setup.exe file. Specify your Windows Desktop (or any other folder that you prefer) as the destination location

That’s it! You are now ready to set up your SyncPak software!

 

 

Setting Up SyncPak Software

The Setup program installs the SyncPad™ Import Utility on your system.

1         Double-click the setup.exe file that you saved to your Windows Desktop

The Setup program begins and displays the SyncPak Welcome Screen.

2         Click Next

Setup displays the SyncPak License Agreement. Please read the terms of the License Agreement.

If you agree with the Product Licensing terms, and wish to continue,

3         Click Agree

Setup displays the SyncPak system requirements.

If you use a handheld device,

4         Make sure a check mark appears in the box labeled “Auto Detect Handheld Devices”, and click Next

This box is “checked” by default.

Setup displays the “Enter Email Address” window. This step only occurs with your first SyncPak installation, and will not appear in subsequent SyncPak installations.

NOTE: Your email address is necessary to verify your SyncPak Module subscription(s). It will not be shared or used for any other purpose.

5         Enter your email address and click Next
Setup displays the “Components to Install” screen (Figure 2.2, below.)

IMPORTANT:  Before proceeding, please read the “Scenarios” at the beginning of this section for instructions that apply to your current system configuration.

Figure 2.2

6         Click to place a check mark in the box labeled “Outlook SyncPak Module

NOTE: See the “Scenarios”, at the beginning of this section, for information on the Modules you need to install for your system/device configuration.

If your system/device configuration requires,

Click to place a check mark next to any other required Modules

7         Click Continue

Setup displays a screen that lets you specify whether you connect to the Internet using a Proxy server.

If you use a Proxy server, contact your network administrator for the necessary proxy settings before continuing.

If you do not use a Proxy server, or you are not sure, click to place a check mark in the box labeled “No – Proxy Server Connection”.

8         Click Next

Setup displays a screen where you can specify the destination directory for the SyncPak software files.

You can install the files in any directory you like by clicking the Browse button, but SyncPak recommends that you choose the default directory.

9         Click Next

Setup copies the program files to the SyncPak directory.

Setup displays a screen where you can choose whether you want to add a SyncPak program group to your Windows Start menu.

If you choose to add the program group,

10     Click Add

If you do not want to add the program group,

Click Skip

11     Click Finish

Setup then launches the “SyncPad for Outlook” utility that will download and install your first SyncPak Module Updates.

12     Click Start Sync

Congratulations! Installation is complete. You can now view the current SyncPak Module Updates in your calendar.

SyncPak is easy to use because our exclusive SyncPad import utility does all of the work for you!

This section describes how to configure and use SyncPad to access your SyncPak Module updates and import them directly to your MS Outlook calendar or handheld device.

First find the SyncPad Utility Globe icon in the Windows system tray (Figure 3.1, below.)

Figure 3.1

There are three display states for the SyncPad icon:

  Static Globe – indicates that SyncPad is running, and there are currently no updates available.

  Flashing Yellow Post-it® Note on Globe – indicates that an update is available for download and install. (See “Retrieving and Importing SyncPak Module Updates” for more information.)

NOTE:  If you selected the “Auto Import Updates” option in SyncPad Preferences, this icon will not display. See “Configuring SyncPad Preferences” for more information.)

  Globe Flashing Red – indicates that your SyncPak Module subscription has expired. (See “Renewing Your SyncPak Module Subscription” for more information.)

To use and configure SyncPad, you need to open the SyncPad Control menu. See the following section for instructions on using the Control Menu.

SyncPad Control Menu

To open the SyncPad Control menu,

1         Right-click the SyncPad Globe icon in your system tray

SyncPad displays the Control menu (See Figure 3.2)

Figure 3.2

Following is a description of the SyncPad Control menu options.

·         The first item on the menu is the default website link (in this example, “Boxoffice Online”).

You can specify the link that you wish to display here from the Preferences dialog box. (See “Configuring SyncPak Preferences” for more information.)

·         Check for Updates – Choose this to search for any available SyncPak Module updates.

By default, SyncPad automatically searches for available updates every half-hour. You can specify the frequency in the Preferences dialog box. (See “Configuring SyncPak Preferences” for more information.)

·         Launch SyncPak – Downloads and installs any available SyncPak Module updates. (See “Retrieving and Importing SyncPak Module Updates” for more information.)

NOTE: This option displays ONLY if you have MS Outlook installed on your system.

·         SyncPak Support – Link to the SyncPak website Support page.

·         Purchase SyncPak Module – Lets you re-subscribe to expired SyncPak Modules.

·         Preferences – Opens the SyncPad Preferences window where you can specify how SyncPad searches for, downloads and installs SyncPak Module updates. (See “Configuring SyncPak Preferences” for more information.)

·         About SyncPad – Displays version number and other information about the SyncPad utility.

·         Exit – Disables the SyncPad utility.

Configuring SyncPad Preferences

With the Preferences dialog box, you can customize the way SyncPad downloads and imports SyncPak updates.

To open the Preferences dialog box,

1         Right-click the SyncPad icon in the system tray

SyncPad displays a pop-up Options menu.

2         Click Preferences

The following dialog box appears (Figure 3.3, below.)

Figure 3.3

Following is a description of the SyncPad preference settings.

·         Check Frequency – Lets you specify how often SyncPad searches for available SyncPak Module updates. The default setting is every half-hour.

·         Auto Start SyncPad – Lets you specify whether you want SyncPad to start monitoring for updates when you turn on your computer. The default setting is “checked”.

If you wish to start SyncPad manually, remove the check mark from the box.

·         Auto Import SyncPaks – Lets you specify whether SyncPad automatically downloads and installs SyncPak updates. The default setting is “unchecked”.

NOTE: The flashing yellow Post-It Note icon will no longer appear with this setting.

·         Use Proxy – Lets you specify if you use a Proxy server to connect to the Internet.

If you do not use a Proxy server, or are unsure, leave this box unchecked.

If you use a Proxy server, contact your network administrator for the proper settings.

·         Default Module – Lets you specify the default website link displayed on the SyncPad Options menu.

If you have multiple SyncPaks installed on your system, you can select the default link you wish to display from the pull-down menu.

·         Delete Module Button – Lets you delete an expired module from SyncPad. See “Removing Expired Modules”, for more information.

Checking for Available SyncPak Module Updates

The SyncPad utility automatically checks for any available SyncPak Module updates. You can specify how frequently in the SyncPad Preferences dialog box. (See “Configuring SyncPad Preferences” for more information.)

When SyncPad finds an available Update, the icon flashes a yellow Post-it note on the globe.

To manually check for updates,

1         Right-click the SyncPad Globe icon in the system tray, and choose Check for Updates

Retrieving and Importing SyncPak Module Updates

A flashing yellow Post-it note on the SyncPad icon indicates that a SyncPak Module update is available and ready to download and import into your calendar.

To retrieve the update(s),

1         Double-click the SyncPad icon in your system tray

or,

Right-click the SyncPad icon and select Launch SyncPak from the control menu

A window opens displaying all of the currently available Module Updates.

2         Select the Module(s) from the “SyncPak Upgrade Choices” window

3         Click Update

The “SyncPak for Outlook” window opens.

4         Click Start Sync

That’s it!  Your SyncPak Module updates are now waiting for you in your calendar.

Renewing Your SyncPak Module Subscription

A flashing red SyncPad icon in your system tray indicates that one or more of your SyncPak Module subscriptions have expired.

To renew your subscription,

1         Right-click the SyncPad icon in your system tray

2         Choose Purchase SyncPak Module from the control menu

Follow the screen instructions to complete your purchase.

Removing Expired Modules

1         Right-click the SyncPad icon in your system tray

2         Choose Preferences

3         Select the expired module from the “Default Module” pull-down menu

4         Click Delete Module

I don’t see any SyncPak updates in my MS Outlook calendar.

You may not have retrieved any yet. If your SyncPad system tray icon is blinking yellow, updates are waiting to be installed. Double-click the icon to begin download. (See “Retrieving and Importing SyncPak Module Updates” for more information.)

You can also configure SyncPad to download and install available updates automatically. (See “Configuring SyncPad Preferences” for more information.)

How do I export updates from MS Outlook calendar to my handheld device?

If you installed the “Outlook SyncPak module” and have the necessary synchronization conduit for your device installed, just connect your device to your USB port on your computer and run your device’s synchronization program. (Consult the user manual for your device for more information.)

If you know that your device does not have a MS Outlook synchronization conduit installed, you must choose to install both the OUTLOOK SyncPak Module and the Palm (or PocketPC depending on your device) SyncPak Module during Step 6 of “Setting Up SyncPak Software”.

I don’t use MS Outlook as my email client and calendar. Can I still use SyncPak?

As long as you have a handheld device, yes, you can. During Step 6 of “Setting Up SyncPak Software”, place a check mark next to the “Palm SyncPak Module” or “PocketPC SyncPak Module” (depending on your device.)

Does SyncPak support MS Outlook Express?

MS Outlook Express does not have the calendar feature necessary to store SyncPak updates.

However, if you have a handheld device, you can still use SyncPak. See “Scenario 3” in the “Scenarios” section, for more information.

My SyncPad system tray icon is flashing red. What does this mean?

When you first download a SyncPak module, you have a free trial subscription; to keep receiving updates, you must purchase a subscription. A red flashing icon indicates that one or more of your SyncPak Module subscriptions have expired.

If you wish to renew your subscription, follow the instructions in “Renewing your SyncPak Module Subscription”.

If you wish to remove the expired module from your system, see “Removing Expired Modules” for more information.

I’m concerned about security; will SyncPak have access to my system when I install SyncPak updates?

SyncPak is one-directional. You can only receive downloads with the SyncPad software. NO information is ever sent back to SyncPak.

For technical support with any SyncPak product, contact SyncPak using one of the following options

EMAIL: support@syncpak.com
FAX:     949-582-8903

SyncPak, Inc.
26452 San Torini Road
Mission Viejo, CA 92692-6100