in spite of all recommendations I get avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync:

I have an arduino uno and a pro mini
i run windows 7 enterprise on a dell studio xps
i am trying to load a sketch to the pro mini
i have removed the chip on the uno and made all the connections according to guidelines
the green light was not blinking and thus i successfully installed a bootloader
this tells me that all the connections are correct and the transfer takes place
before removing the uno chip i verified that i can upload a sketch (blink) and that it works
i reset the mini when the compiling takes place

in spite of countless hours seeking advice on the forum and other places i still get the message

avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x00

the only thing i observed is that the program is set to baud higher than 9600 which is that of the COM