Syncing has been disabled on this computer

Question

Level 2

230 points

Syncing has been disabled on this computer

I have been syncing etc my iPhone 3G for months... then suddenly tonight I get an error that says syncing is disabled on this computer, do you want to enable it - I say yes and a new error comes up and says "syncing cannot be enabled on this computer" with two buttons - one says OK the other says Override. So I select Override and it syncs - except mail account settings - in fact if I just select Sync button it works - but if i check the box for Mail Accounts that is when I get the errors.... And in the box with mail accounts, it is blank as if I have no mail accounts - but I do and Mail is working just fine.

Ideas?

Quad Core G5, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Dec 12, 2008 10:07 PM

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Answer 1

MikeBerg

Level 1

0 points

Dec 17, 2008 8:54 AM in response to Ashler

I'm having the same problem with my iPod touch. Any changes made to the "Info" pane of the iPod window in iTunes do not take. I can still check mail on the iPod, but adding or removing accounts does not work. I also frequently have the "SyncServer" process taking up 99% of the CPU, and I have to quit it to get my computer back to normal.

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Answer 2

Ashler Author

Level 2

230 points

Dec 17, 2008 12:23 PM in response to MikeBerg

open MobileMe pref - is Sync tab grayed out/not available? Is so, go to /Users/youruserid/library/Application Support and delete the directory SyncServices.

Sounded suspect to me when I came across the above "fix" so I zipped up the folder first and kept it just in case. But it worked - but you will have to resync and it is going to ask you about merging etc. I had good MobileMe sync previously so had MobileMe replace the computer's contents.

If your Sync tab is not grayed - we are talking about different things and I have no idea the affect of deleting the SyncServices directory might have... good or bad.

Hope this helps.

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Answer 3

Ashler Author

Level 2

230 points

Dec 17, 2008 12:24 PM in response to Ashler

Deleted ~/Library/Application Support/SyncServices

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Answer 4

MikeBerg

Level 1

0 points

Dec 17, 2008 1:25 PM in response to Ashler

Deleting the SyncServices folder seems to have worked for me. My computer has been working much more smoothly, and I've been able to get get my iPod touch syncing properly again. The SyncServices folder has reappeared, but I'm assuming the OS has created a "clean" one...? In any case, it's working now. Here's hoping the fix "sticks".

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Answer 5

Dec 20, 2008 1:44 PM in response to Ashler

Hello Ashler, MikeBerg,

While it seems that removing the folder may have resolved your issue, moving, removing or modifying the SyncServices folder as you've suggested -- is not a recommended method. See the following articles:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1865

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1627?viewlocale=en_US

Also, note that there is a checkbox to enable/disable syncing on the computer in iSync Preferences.

Charles H.

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Answer 6

Ashler Author

Level 2

230 points

Dec 20, 2008 1:50 PM in response to CharlesH08

Excellent - this is exactly the type of info for which I was looking - but I didn't find it - my search terms were wrong i guess.

I know better than, and do not recommend, deleting folders in any OS - but I had to use a heavy hand due to, at the time, no other options.

Thank you for the help.

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Answer 7

SlimMJS

Level 1

15 points

Jan 1, 2009 3:57 PM in response to Ashler

I tried following these instructions but it did not work. I will not delete my SyncServices folder.

If this does not resolve your issue, or if you are unable to open iSync, follow these steps:

In the Finder, choose Utilities from the Go menu.
Open Terminal.
In the Terminal window that opens, type or paste the following command on a single line:
/System/Library/Frameworks/SyncServices.framework/Versions/A/Resources/resetsync .pl full
Press Return.
When the operation is complete, quit Terminal.

And iSync will not open.

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Answer 8

Jan 20, 2009 12:48 PM in response to SlimMJS

SlimMJS -- Exact same symptom for me on my main account on a MacBook Pro, 10.5.6

Because I've been through the .Mac/MobileMe transition as well as a 10.4 -> 10.5 upgrade I suspect something has gone haywire.

I checked my cert's over at MobileMe and saw that an iChat AV encryption cert had expired so I created a new one (done from in iChat as directed). That didn't help.

I also tried logging out of .Mac in my MobileMe System Preference pane and logging in as a @me.com user. That didn't help.

I strongly suspect something has gone screwey with the .Mac/.Me transition but I can't figure out what is wrong. I'm going to request formal help from Apple later and will post if I learn anything useful.

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Answer 9

Jan 23, 2009 7:08 AM in response to Peter Ragone1

Just an update that I did call Apple but no solution yet.

I first reached a Mac consultant who after some time said it sounds like an iPhone issue then I spent another 1/2 hr with an iPhone specialist who decided "it's a Mac issue" so I got transferred back to a "Mac" consultant back in the 'states, who after some research and long periods on hold he said he couldn't figure it out and was going to have "a product specialist" call me right away. It's now the next day and I haven't heard from Apple on this.

I might not have another chance to dedicate another couple hours on this until next week, but I'll post when I have something to offer.

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