Did not try closing & reloading HotSync. Did restart Windows XP several times (over the cours of a week) and still the same thing.

Strangely enough, just today the tray icon appears normal (red & blue circle with arrows pointing in). I have no explanation -- just one of those wierd things, I guess. Wasn't really a big deal anyway, I could still synchronize just fine, and still could access all the settings. It just puzzled me.

Thanks for your advice,
Jim