updated to macOs Sequoia now contacts gone

Thanks for the question. I returned from my trip yesterday and followed the link provided by Apple (in follow-up to my hour-long session) to re-install Sequoia. However, I chose Recovery method Option-Command-R on Startup and that triggered Internet Recovery rather than the base System loaded on my hard drive on upgrade.

Regardless, as I waited for the re-install process the time blossomed from '2 1/2 hours' to '72 hours' (always a bad sign) and then got stuck at '50 hours.' The numbers themselves are meaningless but my conclusion is that there is an inherent error that re-installing can't resolve. I did try several times; part of the problem with this step may also be in my anemic Internet connection.

I am encouraged by Leif Jensen-Pistorius' post and will work without Contacts for a little while, although patience is a trait I dislike having to practice. Thx

OCMG, I'm sorry your attempts didn't help but I am impressed with your dedication to the process. Thanks for the detailed list of steps you took here.

You asked a question on Sept 27 and I just replied in a separate post but I failed to acknowledge the thread. Best of luck in the coming days or weeks. Thx

OCMG, Ron Klein thanks for the continued updates. I appreciate the input.

I also wish that the 15.0.1 update would have included a fix for this bug. I do appreciate the rapid security fixes.

I discovered another bug that has a similar (frustrated group) thread; macOs Sequoia took some of my Documents out of their like-named folder and put them in the iCloud Archive. Quite an unpleasant surprise to find more important files "gone".

Axel Foley, many thanks for this update and your persistence - especially the feedback/reporting to Apple part. Indeed one other poster also is actively participating in testing of software versions to come and his observations were the same as yours. Disappointing, but one can only hope ...

Yes, hmm, interesting question. If I understand your intent, I would say it might have been that simple back in the old days (like System 7, 8 and/or 9) but not so simple now. When I worked the suggestions of removing ~System/Library/... files under the guidance of Apple Support (Sept 24th), I removed 39 files & folders including "Address Book" but then restarting did not change the problem.

It's likely in the coding. That's the best conclusion I can make without further information.

bikinijack: yes, discouraging that we are not as squeaky a wheel as it takes to urge the engineers to look into our problem.

Regarding 3rd party contact databases, Fred Bock above suggested Flexibits Cardhop 2.3.1; dougchia suggested A2Z contacts app, but I have multiple devices sharing the iCloud CarDAV accounts and I am not as brave as Fred Bock in seeing if there is seamless sharing between native Contacts and 3rd party apps.

bikinijack, I will also point out jp_leif's post with Alfred and Raycast, but as before, I have no experience with 3rd party Contact apps and I am reluctant to endorse them. Just answering your question. Thx

AIWeir, I do respect your input. But my experience (as summarized in the OP) started with that particular page, and didn’t help. Plus my multiple Time Machine backups didn’t help either; in fact trying to restore caused a shut down reminiscent of a kernel panic. Shame, since I was hoping that would have been why those Apple-created backup were invented.

But “user experience may vary”.