# PDA question: syncing the CF card **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 17, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pda-question-syncing-the-cf-card/224958 "2004-01-17T17:51:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pda-question-syncing-the-cf-card/224958/1 "2004-01-17T17:51:52Z")
is there a way to synchronise the memory card on my pda? i can back it up via a flash card reader, but it doesn’t convert the pocket word and such to a readable format on the pc. maybe i should just look for a file converter? i’m using pocketpc 2000. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pda-question-syncing-the-cf-card/224958/2 "2004-01-21T04:30:52Z")
ÀsU * * * bump card - go directly to top of page, do not pass Go, do not collect $200. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2004, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pda-question-syncing-the-cf-card/224958/3 "2004-01-21T04:40:56Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > is there a way to synchronise the memory card on my pda? i can back it up via a flash card reader, but it doesn’t convert the pocket word and such to a readable format on the pc. maybe i should just look for a file converter? > > i’m using pocketpc 2000. In pocket word you can save your files as normal word files so that they are readable on the PC. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2004, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pda-question-syncing-the-cf-card/224958/4 "2004-01-21T06:08:21Z")
:smack: thanks! argh! so many files to convert!! so why save as pocket files in the first place?? surely there aren’t any special formating that normal word does not have… ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2004, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pda-question-syncing-the-cf-card/224958/5 "2004-01-21T06:25:29Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > :smack: thanks! argh! so many files to convert!! > so why save as pocket files in the first place?? surely there aren’t any special formating that normal word does not have… I suspect the pocket PC files are much smaller file size than the PC word files. (as PDAs tend to have limited space to store stuff) ---
**Author:** ![zoltar7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b38774/32.png) [@zoltar7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoltar7)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2004, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pda-question-syncing-the-cf-card/224958/6 "2004-01-21T07:42:58Z")
If you transfer the files through ActiveSync rather than putting the CF or SD card in a separate reader, the file conversion should happen [automatically](http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/wceconct/htm/_wcesdk_Transferring_Files.asp). There is more information in Microsoft ActiveSync help under the topic “conversion”. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pda-question-syncing-the-cf-card/224958/7 "2004-01-27T18:24:12Z")
my pda nearly melted from the effort of converting a 13k file to normal word format, so i probably will have to copy all the files i want to convert to my pda’s main memory, sync up with the pc, before copying them back to the compact flash via the cf reader… **zoltar7** - can you give pointers? i followed the link and also searched ActiveSync and there doesn’t seem to be a way to sync files on the memory card, only stuff on the main pda itself. :smack: i have also since realised that word will actually read pocket files, but excel does not, maybe it’s something i can download. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pda-question-syncing-the-cf-card/224958/8 "2004-01-28T00:51:00Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > my pda nearly melted from the effort of converting a 13k file to normal word format, so i probably will have to copy all the files i want to convert to my pda’s main memory, sync up with the pc, before copying them back to the compact flash via the cf reader… > > **zoltar7** - can you give pointers? i followed the link and also searched ActiveSync and there doesn’t seem to be a way to sync files on the memory card, only stuff on the main pda itself. > > :smack: i have also since realised that word will actually read pocket files, but excel does not, maybe it’s something i can download. Even if you move files via windows explorer the conversion (if necesary) still happens. Activesynch does the conversion. I am able to move files to and from my CF card while it is in the PDA using explorer. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pda-question-syncing-the-cf-card/224958/9 "2004-01-30T21:18:42Z")
windows explorer?.. that’s _exactly_ what i was looking for! i’m almost too embarrassed to bump this back up to say thank you…, but thank you ^^’