OneNote syncing Error code: 0xE000003D

HI Anna,

The link you provided for call backs did not provide for Australian phone numbers. I started a chat which was a waste of time .... see reference 1382994737. They recommended I call 13 20 58 (Australian number). I followed the prompts and ended up with tech support. The lady there tried to convince me that I can't sync OneNote 2010 without a 365 subscription.  I told her I've been doing this for 4 years.  She also said that I should have support subscription which I don't.  She then put me through to OneNote support. They started asking questions about whether I bought the device as a consumer or business.  I asked how this was relevant to my syncing problem and then he hung up on me  .... All in all a good 30min wasted on the phone going know where.

So I'm guessing now that we have no solution to this syncing problem and it's probably time I looked at an alternative product.

I've done some testing and can consistently reproduce the issue.

Steps:

1. Create new notebook using OneNote 2010 in SkyDrive
2. Change tab name to "Section 1"
3. Create a list in the page
4. Apply "ToDo" tags to the list
5. Sync notebook in OneNote 2010
6. Close
7. Open OneNote Windows 10 app
8. Open the notebook created in Step 1
9. Check one "ToDo" tag in the list
10. Sync the notebook in OneNote Windows 10 app
11. Close OneNote Windows 10 app
12. Open OneNote 2010
13. Newly created notebook will no longer sync.

I'm not interested in spending significant time on the phone trying to resolve this issue or have someone try to sell me Office 365. 

In another thread about the issue, a user indicated that this seems to have started in the March update to OneNote Windows 10 app.

Microsoft, please be upfront about this issue.  The error is consistently reproducible.

The ball is in your court.

My experiences are strikingly similar to Doobes.  Onenote 2010 was functioning perfectly fine, until we added a new user who began syncing/using OneNote Windows 10 app.  Our issues began occurring sometime near the end of March 2017, beginning of April 2017; sorry I don't have exact date.  But very similar timeframe to both Paul and Doobes.

I have no appetite spending my time and money by contacting Microsoft's Answer Desk to help solve a Microsoft issue, that has already cost me and my colleagues lost time and money on productivity. 

Wouldn't it make more sense that Microsoft pay us for our time and money to help them drill down root causes, so that they can permanently solve this issue for all of their customers?  I don't actually expect; but the point is that the customer shouldn't be the one on the hook to solve what is most likely the supplier's error.

I understand that in a lot of cases, inexperienced users, combined with a plethora of user settings/hardware/software configurations make it difficult to know whether the problem is user specific, or in fact a Microsoft bug.  But I think there are some key pieces of evidence here that overwhelmingly point to this being a Microsoft bug.

A critical thing that sets relevant companies apart from their competitors is customer service, and engagement/collaboration/cooperation with paying customers.  If Microsoft is concerned about what has happened with their market share, this would be a key area to focus on making improvements.  I loved the Onenote product overall before these issues started, but honestly, this experience so far has been a "turn-off", and if not resolved, I will be looking for an alternative product, from a company who places customer focus as their number one priority.

Here is the example I created in the exercise above:

https://onedrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=5440195a697d63e5&resid=5440195A697D63E5!2836&parId=5440195A697D63E5!124&authkey=AjRHYBYC8R9dHdE&Bsrc=SMIT&ref=button

It sync's in OneNote Windows 10 app, OneNote online and OneNote Android 10 app. Refuses to sync in OneNote 2010.

H'mmm, how curious.

I've just started really using OneNote personally recently as a result of getting it installed at my office. I am learning the ins and out and have been applying what I'm learning to my family organizational activities in OneNote.

Here's the issue; I will not be upgrading my copy of Office 2010. Ever. I bought a copy of the Home and Student version to have as a result of my son's need for it for high school.  That license came with three installations.

I've got Office 2010 installed on the three machines around my home.  OneNote is the only office application that gets used more than once a week.  I will not be buying three seats of Office 2016 to replace Office 2010 because of the incompatibility that's been introduced. Period.

So, if this is not resolved soon, I will transition the organizational activities that I now am conducting for my family in OneNote to Google Keep.

Your turn Microsoft.