Opera link sync failure/Opera Mini/Nokia E63 S60.3

Opera link's bookmark sync has been widely promoted and looks useful.

I have tested it many times and it seems an almost total failure. Opera Link does not seem capable of reliably synchronising even a few bookmarks to Opera's servers.

I have Nokia E63/ Symbian S60 v3
Opera Mini 6.1.25580

1. I installed Opera Mini
2. I created a small number of bookmarks, maximum 20, over about 10 folders.
3. I enabled Opera Link in Opera Mini, entered loginID,password,e-mail to create fresh account
=> "creating account", icon rotating, ran for many hours, transmitted minimal data, did nothing.
4. Logged into Opera's web portal Opera Link => Bookmarks => account existed, but no bookmarks

5. Many times, exited Opera Mini on handset using menu => Exit, restarted Opera Mini, went to settings => Opera Link switch ON, entered loginID and password, => Opera Mini says "Synchronising your data" (rotating icon), left it for a long time, phone cold, packet connection open but no data traffic, never terminates, has to be cancelled.

6. Repeated this many times, including leaving it running overnight for 8+ hours - still does not terminate.

7. Used different login credentials and tried again and again, creating a fresh Opera Link account each time.

8. Finally, one time it "worked", for no apparent reason. On PC, Opera portal => Opera Link => Bookmarks shows a few of my bookmarks, maybe 20% of bookmark folders and bookmarks compared to those on the handset. Sync claimed to work, but the result is rubbish.

9. Edited bookmarks to make one change on handset (edited one bookmark to move it into a folder), waited for sync on handset;
Opera web portal => same set of bookmarks, very few there compared with handset, and on handset, edited bookmark has been moved back to folder it was in before edit.

10. Repeated many times - same result.

11. Noticed in Opera web portal => Opera Link => Bookmarks that I now have quite a number of bookmarks that are completely empty - just blank lines. I can edit them - they have no name, no URL, nothing. I can delete them; they keep coming back.

12. Set up Opera Mini and Opera Link on another identical Nokia E63 and managed after many attempts to switch on Opera Link on second handset; waited for sync; got corrupted set of bookmarks, not same set as on handset #1 (some missing, some in different folders), but more than I can see in the Opera web interface.

All of the above I have seen reported in these forums by a number of users.

Really, this Opera Link software is rubbish. Total rubbish. If it can't work, Opera shouldn't promote it.

Any sync software needs internal integrity checking. Opera Link must have NONE. There is no integrity. It's random bookmarks in random folders. And the Opera Link web interface is just bad. Very slow, times out, requires multiple refreshes, frequently reports "no bookmarks" when a page refresh will then show some bookmarks (while no handset is syncing - it's only page refresh making the difference).

This is very sad. Opera Mini is quite a reasonable browser, and renders pages better and faster than the Nokia built-in browser which is poor.

But Opera Mini is being let down by a very poor Opera Link product which does NOT work as advertised.
I specifically wanted to use Opera in order to sync some bookmarks. Not many, just a few, but Opera Link just doesn't work.

I have wasted a lot of time testing this in a lot of detail. I notice that, in the forms/blogs/etc, whenever anyone has reported Opera Link not syncing, there has either been silence or generally unhelpful replies from other users but no sensible reply from Opera itself.

Opera should either fix Opera Link or stop promoting it. Opera absolutely must be aware of these problems.

Try restarting your phone... it can fix problems.

For me, Opera Link works properly every time. To force sync type the command opera:sync (just opera:sync with the colon with no WWW or HTTP) into the URL bar.

it's simple after opera forum login: 'please activate your account...bla'. Usually a fresh account (inactive on link.opera.com) can't sync speed dials since the old bookmarks from previous account come back, after all opera servers mini must have an id_tracker and thats why previous data come up. Shouldn't be any problem after key activation sent via e-mail.

@SANGRID, how long of inactivity before the system considers the acount inactive? Do you mean activity on the forums or activity with the servers (i.e. as long as I use OM, my account won't be considered dead).

Btw, not bad for first post, quite long you know...

any new account is not active until is not activate the key sent on e-mail address pointed by user. So nothing can be posted on opera forum.

But you also mention accounts that have not been used for a long time...

wikipedian:

"Try restarting your phone... it can fix problems."
Done many times.It does not help. Not at all.

"Opera Link works properly every time."
Sorry, false. It has never worked for me.

"To force sync type the command opera:sync (just opera:sync with the colon with no WWW or HTTP) into the URL bar."
That has got nothing to do with the problem I am reporting.

It is irrelevant whether the sync is forced, or whether the sync occurs automatically. It still does not work. I assure you. It does NOT work.

Really, Opera people need to fix this. Errors as gross and as obvious as this MUST be known to Opera staff.
There are both handset-side and server-side problems.

Opera, please look at it.

Try re-installing the app?

Also, how can you say false. It worked for me.

Can you provide more details: Can you visit any other page? What network are you using?

wikipedian:
1. Have tried re-installing Opera Mini after removing it.

2. Have tried this and most tests on second identical handset.

3. "Can you provide more details: Can you visit any other page? What network are you using?"
Opera Mini works in every other respect. It can browse any web page without problems, via wifi/ADLS and vai two different mobile networks.

4. Using PC and web browser, Opera Links's web site already works very badly, as I said above.
Very slow, times out, page needs frequent refreshing, sometimes some bookmarks are served to the browser on a page refresh, sometimes none.
Editing and deleting bookmarks via the browser is already difficult and unreliable.

These are clearly server-side problems, nothing to do with the handset.
And there are many additional problems on the handset.

wikipedian, do you work for Opera ? We are not making progress, here. Someone from Opera needs to do some work on this.

No, I am NOT an Opera employee, but there are usually scarce in this forums Just try re-installing or creating a new account. It could fix the problem.

wikipedian:
"Just try re-installing " - I already told you that I've done this.

"...or creating a new account." - I told you in my original post that I did this several times and it seemed to partially work, at random, once only.


I have already done everything you have suggested, and I already did it before you suggested it.

Thank you, but we are beyond something that can be fixed by users making suggestions.

The Opera company, if they care about their product (which I now doubt) need to do some work on this.

Thank you

Try bookmark duplicate removal operation and check the updated bookmarks, with and without sync link on. Be sure that all synced bookmarks are in 'opera mini' folder.

SAGRID:

"Try bookmark duplicate removal operation and check the updated bookmarks, "

... done, on the Opera Link web site. It works badly. Sometimes the duplicate removal page times out, sometimes it terminates immediately, sometimes it thinks a little and then terminates.
Whichever case above, it makes no difference. It does not remove corrupt blank (duplicate) bookmarks; it does nothing useful. Opera Link sync does not work any better after using duplicate removal.

Believe me, I have tried all these things.

"... with and without sync link on. Be sure that all synced bookmarks are in 'opera mini' folder."

I am not using Opera desktop. I have only Opera Mini. On the Opera Link web page, under Bookmarks, the bookmarks are all in the Opera Mini folder, but most of the bookmarks on the handset are NOT, are NEVER, synced to the Opera servers. They are not there; they have never been there, as seen via the web portal.

Opera link IS working for me... weird problem :/. Also, all bookmarks for the phone WILL go under the Opera Mini folder (so as all the other sub folders, etc).

The problem is before mini servers then, most likely sync link doesn't have the same ping value all the time. Check for similar threads on symbian forum.
EDIT:
It seems that myopera served a 'guru meditation' so perhaps it's better to run another test tomorrow

wikipedian:

"Also, all bookmarks for the phone WILL go under the Opera Mini folder (so as all the other sub folders, etc)."

Well, they MIGHT, IF it worked, but it doesn't work for me. I have a number of bookmarks folders that have been on the phone for some time.
Some of these are on the Opera Link server as viewed on the Opera Link => Bookmarks web page; MOST of these folders are just not there, never been there. Opera Link does NOT sync them, ever.

Of the folders that are transferred, only a few of each of the bookmarks in those folders have been sync'ed to the servers. Only a minority. Most are not sync'ed, have never been synced.

I have tried editing individual bookmarks on the phone that do not appear on the server, and then re-syncing; this usually results in one or more completely blank (no title, no URL) phantom bookmarks on the server. I have had dozens of these. I have to delete them manually via the web site, and this is difficult to do. The web site takes a long time to respond, and often times out, and often does not delete them. I have to re-try.

SAGRID:
"It seems that myopera served a 'guru meditation' ..."

I'm sorry, I have no idea what you mean by that.


"so perhaps it's better to run another test tomorrow"
... I have been running these tests for some time. I don't think another day will make a difference, unless you know that Opera are going to push out an Opera Mini update and also updates on the server side.

That guru works for Opera and it's a bad guru especially when it comes from http://my-beta.opera.com I'm sure that is frustrating but also always you can find out the solution by yourself, after all it's your problem since nobody has it.

SAGRID,

"That guru works for Opera and it's a bad guru ..."
I still don't understand what you are talking about. A guru is a teacher, a master. Who are you talking about ?

"but also always you can find out the solution by yourself, after all it's your problem since nobody has it."

If you are saying (unclearly) that I am the _only_ one who has it, false again. I think I am wasting my time posting here because you guys don't listen.
See http://my.opera.com/operamobile/blog/opera-mobile-11-for-android-and-symbian
and scroll down to the entry "Manoj Chandrasekharanmachs # Tuesday, March 22, 2011 3:24:26 PM"
"...Opera Link does not work. Every time I try to enable it, a message comes up "synchronising your data" but it never completes the synchronisation(at least even after an hour)...."

Same problem. I'm not the only one. Failures like this must be widespread.

I might be the only one who bothers to file a detailed report, giving all the necessary information in my first posting, but this is is something that users cannot help users with.

This is a technical failure with Opera Link sync both on the browser side and the server side, and the Opera company needs to fix it, if they care.

@Oljamessmith5 I doubt its world wide... cause nobody is reporting it. And also, I am not facing the problem

Originally posted by oljamessmith5:

"Manoj Chandrasekharanmachs # Tuesday, March 22, 2011 3:24:26 PM"
"...Opera Link does not work. Every time I try to enable it, a message comes up "synchronising your data" but it never completes the synchronisation(at least even after an hour)...."

I think that this issue was fixed on latest mini version update and anyway you point to another flavor. For a better feedback search and post on symbian forum or fill up a bug report.

Originally posted by oljamessmith5:

SAGRID,

"That guru works for Opera and it's a bad guru ..."
I still don't understand what you are talking about. A guru is a teacher, a master.

Yep, and 'sagrid' is close to 'padawan', just kidding with you. What I mean is that this problem with sync link seems to be related with a bad connectivity starting with DNS resolvers set by your provider and ended with mini server peer, somewhere is not a match.

Posting in this forum has been a waste of effort, as has been attempting to make Opera Link sync work.

I'll leave you to your world, which bears no relation to mine.

I've noticed that Opera Link, which I've just 'turned on' in my desktop browser (v. 11.60 build 1185 Win 32) takes some time to show the bookmarks, notes, and speed dial that I've set up. When I first turned on the feature, I checked the My Opera - Opera Link page, and it showed empty bookmarks, no notes, and no speed dial. I tried 'opera:sync' in the address bar, but got a 'invalid address' error page, so I was not too hopeful. After reading this thread for about 10 minutes, I went back to check my My Opera - Opera Link page again, and many of my bookmarks appeared there, the speed dial tab was populating with my speed dials, and my notes were showing.

So, it sounds as if one must give the Opera servers some time to sync these bookmarks, and I suspect that oljamessmith5 's problem was due to a Opera server problem. I hope that that problem has been fixed by now, but apparently, the sync operation is not a 'lightning' one, in any case!

aboutblank
Jan 5, 2012

I have a very similar problem, mine hasn't been working for about 2 or 3 months (it used to work fine).

On my Nokia 5230, I use Opera Mini 6.1.25570 (6.5 crashed whenever I went to the 'Saved pages' tab, but that's another story...).

Opera Mini won't upload bookmarks I've made on it.

I've tried forcing it to sync by turning Opera Link off and on again but after I enter my username and password and click the Login button, the message box says "Logging in" then displays "Synchronising your data..." but then just stays like that with the twirly progress thing in the top left corner going round and round and round. I've left it for over an hour but nothing more happens.

I use opera on my pc and I use opera mobile on my T-Mobile Comet/Huawei Ideos U8150. Opera for pc and mobile link/sync just fine. But I've added opera mini and enabled opera link but my bookmarks in opera mini do not match my pc's opera bookmarks and my opera mobile bookmarks. Strange that only mini is the misfit; mobile is fine with desktop. I've uninstalled mini, rebooted, and reinstalled to no avail. Suggestions? (T-Mobile Comet/Huawei Ideos U8150 running a rom based on stock, rooted)