iCalExternalSync process using up processor cycles
I often find that the iCalExternalSync is taking up many processor cycles, causing the fan on my MacBook Pro to spin up. Does anyone have an idea of why this might happen and what can be done about it?
I too have this issue - but I want to know why does it use so much CPU memory? I can quit the iCalExternalSync process and it does not seem to negatively effect iCal. What does it do?
It took me a while, but I was eventually able to track down this problem. Found that this problem was due to a particular event. I noticed that both iCal and iCalExternalSync were eating up CPU cycles. For iCal I found that this problem was in my home calendar, because disabling home would make the iCal performance problems go away. I then exported the calendar and found the file to be 13.5 MB, where 95% of the file was taken up by a single event. I removed this event from iCal (which took a long time due to the performance issues) and the performance problem went away, but later came back, probably because it synced with .me. So I went through and deleted the event a second time and the problem went away for good.
Starting last week, I have started having this problem in my iMacG5 with 10.5.8. iClaExternalSync starts up and consumes nearly 100% of the CPU, rendering my iMac nearly useless. I have tried the following solutions:
1. Reset Sync Data on MobileMe to copy all data from .me to the iMac. Made no difference. (There are 2 other computers and an iPhone syncing with .mac. Those devices do not exhibit this iClaExternalSync-CPU problem, suggesting that the issue is with the local copy of iCal.)
2. Discontinued the syncing of iCal with MobileMe. Made no difference. Now the heavy CPU use starts only when I start iCal and continues even after I have quit iCal. (In any case, this cannot be a permanent solution since I need to keep my calendars synced.)
3. Ran OnyX to deep clean caches and repair permissions etc.
I will appreciate any further suggestions that anyone else may have.
I too have had this problem, and the computer slows to a crawl again and again. I have to keep Activity Monitor running all the time so when it relaunches (after a change or addition to iCal, I can force it to quit. I have searched and found hundreds of discussions about it on the net, and tried the ones below.
Have tried:
* deleting the calender caches
* renaming calenders to have no spaces in names
* reseting synch and using .mac data
* removing all subscribed calenders
Do you find that changing the current date in iCal causes iCal to go really slow? That is a symptom I saw and it was a sign that a calendar entry was corrupt. Try switching between months and see if you get a spinning cursor.
I was having the same problem and I tried all the suggested remedies with the same frustrating results. My last ditch effort before reformatting the entire drive was to do an "archive and install" of the system. That seems to have cure the problem.
I found a solution from other posts on these forum that were reporting excessive CPU usage with Mail. I had previously tried all suggestions on this page and others and had finally stopped using iCal on this computer in frustration.
This is what worked for me:
Sign out of MobileMe (if you have that)
Start the iSync application.
Click "Reset Sync History"
Sign into MobileMe (if you have it)
Make sure the Sync direcion is from MobileMe to Computer
This cured - at least for the moment - my iCalExternalSync and Mail issues. My iCal is working very well now.
I am experiencing exactly the same problem. iCalExternalSync not only takes up most processor cycles, so that the fan blows at full speed, but it also eats up all the memory!
Now, killing the process from the Activity Monitor only gives temporary relief if iCal is running, as the process relaunches automatically.
I tried the suggested workarounds, but none of them solves the problem for me.
Nope, I have the same issue with 10.6.2: Since a few days some iCal related processes start eating up the cpu a few times a day: Mingler, iCalExternalSync, iCal itself (I even wonder why it needs 68 MB of REAL MEMORY?) ...
I have a synchronization with some (public) Google calenders - but it doesn't make a difference if I switch them on or off ...
I sync iCal to Google Calendar to my iPhone. Yesterday, iCalExternalSync and Mingler started using all CPU resources. I fixed by doing the following:
1. export the calendar synced from iCal to Google ("Lee Main").
2. delete Lee Main from iCal (using iCal Preferences)
3. delete all events in Lee Main on calendars.google.com [this leaves the blank calendar, but removes all events]
4. delete Lee Main from the iPhone
5. reboot the MacBook
6. add Lee Main to iCal as a Google synced calendar.
7. added on event to Lee Main on iCal; confirmed it replicated on Google. Mingler started using 100% of CPU, again.
8. closed iCal
9. started iSync; in Preferences, selected Reset Sync History. Wait...
10. after iSync reset, reboot
11. Started syncrospector; selected iCal; using the drop down box "Sync Mode", selected Slow Sync and then pressed the Sync button. Wait to finish. Eventually Mingler & iCalExternalSync stopped consuming 100% CPU.
12. in iCal, Import calendar exported in step 1; load to calendar created in step 6.
13. Wait patiently for 30-60 minutes for the iCal calendar to be replicated to Google; during this time Mingler & iCalExternalSync will run, again...
14. Setup the calendar on the iPhone, again.
I suspect the critical step was #11, but did not do any independent testing.
Lee
Much similar problems, syncserver and icalexternalsync running wild, but solution alot simpler (so far). Shut everything down except finder and Activity Monitor, then started iSync, opened Prefs and Reset Sync History. Job done. Had to shut everything down to do this because otherwise Enable syncing and Reset History were greyed out.
