How to delete Address Book and re-sync with correct version on MobileMe

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Level 1

19 points

How to delete Address Book and re-sync with correct version on MobileMe

I am puzzled; I sync an Addressbook over two computers, an iPhone and, of course, on MobileMe. Syncing between my PowerBook, my iPhone and MobileMe works well, BUT the addressbook on the MacBook (Intel) is NOT correct (does not have the same number of entries, nor all the info for a given contact, and not all Groups (missing the ones created in the past 10 days).

On the MacBook (which has the wrong entries) I have Reset the Sync data (System Preferences>MobileMe>Sync>Advanced>Reset..) and then what I thought "repopulated" with (correct) data from MobileMe, but the same old and wrong entries appear.

How can I definitelly delete the wrong book and repopulate it from MobileMe?

Thanks for your pointers/suggestions/solutions and have a Good Year. Cheers, Veit

MacBook and PowerBook G4 (i.e PowerPC), and MacMini (also PowerPC), Mac OS X (10.5.7), iPhone 3G (vers. 3.1)

Posted on Jan 5, 2010 3:37 AM

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Answer 1

V.K.

Level 9

56,192 points

Jan 5, 2010 6:20 AM in response to vburger

first, turn off and reset mobileme syncing completely on the macbook. then quit address book and delete the folder home directory/library/application support/address book. log out/in and empty trash start address book. it should be empty except for your address and the one for apple. then turn on syncing and sync down from the cloud to the computer.

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Answer 2

vburger Author

Level 1

19 points

Jan 6, 2010 9:04 AM in response to V.K.

V.K. Many thanks. I followed your procedure and got as far as an empty address book (other than the Apple and My Address), but when syncing (no matter whether with Replace Data or with Merge Data) I never got any other data back into the Book.

But I have a hunch that the problem lies perhaps elsewhere, the My Address issue gave me an idea: the Macbook is my wife's and after following your procedure has HER address, whereas the address book on my Powerbook has MY address.

I wonder whether I had made a mistake all the time: her Macbook is logged in on MobileMe with MY name (the "Master" of the family account). Should the Macbook be logged in with HER name? If so, how do I sync with MY addressbook? But then it had worked until now, i.e. she was logged into MobileMe with MY name, and the Address Book on her and my computer were synced.

I am perhaps now more puzzled than before, and truly hope that you can straighten out my misconceptions. Sorry for the inconvenience.

A trial of a workaround just completed now and seems to have worked: rather than importing (and replacing or merging data) from MobileMe, I IMPORTED into her AB the Archive that I had made on my computer, all addresses show up now. Perhaps I should do the same to iCal and to Bookmarks (where are these databases located?)

Thanks in advance. Cheers, Veit

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Answer 3

V.K.

Level 9

56,192 points

Jan 6, 2010 2:21 PM in response to vburger

I don't use mobileme but when you sync you have to be logged into mobileme into the same account that has the addresses in the cloud in mobileme, whichever account that is. mobileme also has address book sharing but I don't know how that works.

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Answer 4

vburger Author

Level 1

19 points

Jan 7, 2010 1:12 PM in response to V.K.

Thanks, VK, for the response.
I looked for answers in the MobileMe forum: many people seem to have sync problems, but VERY few solutions are available.
So far, iCal and Bookmarks sync among ALL devices including my wife's Macbook, but Contacts does NOT sync with it (only between my Mac, the iPhone and the web).

Isn't there a simple solution of DELETING ALL iCal, Bookmarks and Contacts data on my wife's Macbook and "reset" whatever MobileMe or isync settings, and then sync afresh through MobileMe? Any ideas?

Cheers, Veit

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Answer 5

V.K.

Level 9

56,192 points

Jan 7, 2010 3:19 PM in response to vburger

this should be possible yes. as I mentioned I don't use mobileme myself. but as I understand it you have to do the follwoing. first turn off and reset mobileme on her account.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1497
log out of mobileme for good measure after that in system preferences->mobileme. then delete everything in ~/library/safari, ~/library/application support/address book and ~/library/calendars. ~ means the home directory in all of the above. then log out/in. check that address book and ical are really empty now. just start them up. if they are indeed empty turn on mobileme and sync down from the cloud. however, if address book and ical automatically repopulate after you open them after logging out /in then the sync data was not reset correctly. then quit those apps and trash the above folders again and reset your whole sync folder
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1627
then again log out/in and see if the apps are empty now. if they are then you can sync with mobileme.

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Answer 6

vburger Author

Level 1

19 points

Jan 8, 2010 10:37 AM in response to V.K.

Wow, you have DONE IT, again! 🙂 Many Thanks!!!

I had to go all the way to the Terminal procedure as described in "Resetting the Sync Services Folder": http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1627
(Resetting the Sync Services was necessary since one of the symptoms of a corrupted Sync Services is that I was able set up another account on her computer and properly sync with MobileMe, but not from her account). Only Resetting Sync History in iSync was not enough!!!

When again setting up Sync in MobileMe I realized that my wife's Macbook was listed as syncing through this MobileMe account, BUT a button also allowed Register THIS Computer with the same computer/account name. That's what I did and was informed that there was another computer with the same name, and if I were sure that there was only THIS computer with this name I could register with that name. That's what I did, having expecteded all the time that there were some inconsistencies in the sync data/settings of MobileMe on my iDisk.

Then I started to sync one after the other the Contacts, Calendar and Bookmarks, each time choosing to overwrite the computer with data from MobileMe. And now all 3 data files that are being synced work perfectly on all 2 computers and on the iPhone and on the web (i.e. MobileMe).

That syncing actually works as well as it does is amazing (I recall the anguish between June and November 2008 until syncing problems were finally solved by Apple), but I now spent close to two days to find the solution. Your help was instrumental.

Thanks and cheers,
Veit

That did the trick!

Message was edited by: vburger

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