>when you have pushed the sync button on the cradle... >ls -l /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/pilot >see if they exist and who owns them > Thank you for the instructions. This is what I get from the ls command you suggested: [root at localhost dave]# ls -l /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/pilot lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 7 Aug 5 21:47 /dev/pilot -> ttyUSB1 crw-rw---- 1 root uucp 188, 0 Aug 5 21:47 /dev/ttyUSB0 crw------- 1 dave uucp 188, 1 Aug 5 21:47 /dev/ttyUSB1 Does this mean that root owns them, but that they are accessible by anyone. And then... Hey! It works! Wow... I totally expected to run Kpilot to get some other error or something... but it works. As I write this my palm device is being backed up to the computer. Sweet!! Thanks everyone for helping me get this running. I'm now just one step away from the perfect operating system. Dave