Here are the steps I use.
1- USB to computer
2- Turn on my Reader
3- Connect the USB to my Reader
4- Open Sony Reader Library
5- Import and drop books to the Reader
6- drag and drop books to my Collections
7- click on the little triangle thing to the right of the word "Reader" that is in the left pane of the Reader Library. This disconnects the Reader from the Computer.
8- Close out the Sony Reader Library
9- Pull out the USB cable from the computer.
10- take off the USB from my Reader.
The Reader will take a minute or so loading (depending on the amount of books being loaded) then it will show the page it was on when you connected it.
I don't use sync.