Hotsync Error Message

I own a Sony Clie PEG-SJ22U trying to connect to a laptop using WIN XP Pro.
When I try to hotsync (last hotsync 1/10/09) I get the following message:
The connection between your handheld computer AND THE DESKTOP COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED. PLEASE CHECK YOUR SETUP AND TRY AGAIN. The port says it's connected to port 8. Occassionally the error message " a.dll is missing. It suggests I try to reinstall the software to try to correct the error. Do I need to uninstall the palm desktop to do this? How can I save all the info in my address book, to do list, etc?
Should I install from the original the software fom the original cd supplied, or from the web?
Current version of Clie software is Palm 4.0.1

Thank you for your help.
Peter

premeny@aol.com[email]