FIX: Error message when you try to synchronize a Windows Mobile 5.0-based device with a computer: "The server is busy (85010017)" (912242)

SYMPTOMS

When you try to synchronize a Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0-based device with a computer, you may receive the following error message in Microsoft ActiveSync 4.0:

The server is busy (85010017)

CAUSE

This problem occurs because ActiveSync 4.0 has only two minutes to synchronize the Windows Mobile 5.0-based device with the computer.

This problem may occur if you have many items to synchronize. This problem may also occur if you have items that will take a long time to synchronize on the first try. For example, you may experience this problem if you have the following kinds of items to synchronize:

A meeting item that contains many meeting attendees
A repeating meeting item that has many scheduled exceptions

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem on Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) and on Microsoft Windows 2000, download and install Microsoft ActiveSync 4.1. For more information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/downloads/activesync41.mspx

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, let ActiveSync fail the first time that it tries to connect. Then, do not restart the computer. Instead, try to synchronize the Windows Mobile 5.0-based device with the computer again. Let the synchronization process run until it is finished.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

MORE INFORMATION

If the Windows Mobile 5.0-based device is already working on a synchronization request, the Windows Mobile 5.0-based device will report a 503 error code. This error code indicates that the device is too busy to work on the new synchronization request

When the device's synchronization request takes too long to process, the device sends another synchronization request. However, the computer will only accept one request at a time. The second request causes the 503 error to occur. Additionally, you receive the error message that is mentioned in the "Symptoms" section.