iCloud Contacts Sync Trashes My Outlook Contacts

iCloud is not a backup system, never was, you have no backup (as usual for Outlook users) so can't easily recover.

Yes, same here I deleted and tried to reinstall iCloud to get rid of the multiple garbage in Outlook. After that when trying to reinstall iCloud is when I now get the error.

Apple's iCloud installer says nothing about backing up anything on the PC. So Apple trashes Outlook Contacts and says "oops"?. If it were the 80's we might believe it was merely sloppy. If al queda did it, we would go to war against them.

TrickMcKaha wrote:

Apple's iCloud installer says nothing about backing up anything on the PC. So Apple trashes Outlook Contacts and says "oops"?. If it were the 80's we might believe it was merely sloppy. If al queda did it, we would go to war against them.

Backing up is a standard method of protecting oneself from error, malfunction and disaster, the decision not to was yours and yours alone. If you had not made that choice this would not be happening. Windows has its own backup system (Windows Backup) and it works well enough to safeguard users from times like this.

I actually got back my Contacts data, because I was careful. The fact remains that iCloud seems more of a boobie trap than a piece of professionally written software.

And now I will add that it is smug and unhelpful for people here to say "you should have backed up" or "you should have been using a Mac."

To those that have given actually useful advise, thank you.

It's always your choice to backup or not, you chose not, I would do the other thing. We will differ.

You must have me confused with someone else. No problem. I faulted apple for releasing software that causes data loss. They should at least have warned users. That did not hurt me personally, because I kept my data safe. I nonetheless feel for the many who had difficulty recovering from Apple's bad work.

Now to try to add something helpful. Sometimes, one can find a Contacts file that remains good - just that it is not the one Outlook is "looking" at by default. One can copy and paste the good contacts data over bad contacts data.

Sometimes, Outlook will have for you a saved copy of contacts data in a .pst file. Look for it in this menu: File/ Import and Export/ Import from another program or file/<Next> / (scroll down to see) Personal Folder File (.pst)

And, sometimes Windows Restore will bring back your stuff.

TrickMcKaha wrote:

You must have me confused with someone else. No problem. I faulted apple for releasing software that causes data loss. They should at least have warned users. That did not hurt me personally, because I kept my data safe. I nonetheless feel for the many who had difficulty recovering from Apple's bad work.

Now to try to add something helpful. Sometimes, one can find a Contacts file that remains good - just that it is not the one Outlook is "looking" at by default. One can copy and paste the good contacts data over bad contacts data.

Sometimes, Outlook will have for you a saved copy of contacts data in a .pst file. Look for it in this menu: File/ Import and Export/ Import from another program or file/<Next> / (scroll down to see) Personal Folder File (.pst)

And, sometimes Windows Restore will bring back your stuff.

Thats incorrect, Outlook ALWAYS saves a copy of your current contacts in the active pst file for your profile,

How to find it ....

Outlook data files are stored at users\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook. This is the default and assuming you have not changed it, still is. It is a hidden folder under your Windows user profile.

Why does iCloud have to hijack Outlook when my wife, who has an iPain4, doesn't even use email on her phone.

Regardless of whether you have backups or not, iCloud reorganised my groups of email address' into a straight alphabetical list in my address book in a foreign folder.

It also removed the contacts from my personal folder into the iClutz folder which neither my wife or I use.

I know that I can go and reorganise all the contacts but aren't we busy enough already.

As far as backups go, these work fine if you realise immediately that your system has been invaded, not 2 days later when the daily backup has been overwritten twice. Fortunately, I save my .pst files as daily copies so I can get around this.

As far as warnings go, iClutz asked my wife to terminate the Outlook program before continuing.

I relented by taking iTunes off a crappy old machine and put it on my desktop so the wife could do her monthly sync of songs and photos, but this has again confirmed that Apple is a distributor of malware.

And don't get me started on IOS 6's bluetooth issues.

In my experience Outlook is a very poor client for everything except Exchange and local folders. don't use it

Regardless of wether Outlook is the best product or not to use, it has been a stable, reliable and no-surprises product that I have used for over a decade. That is not an excuse for what has occurred.

These forums are for people seeking help not finger pointing.

I had similar problems when I set up my Android phone, but the android forums where helpful not bitter.

I have almost restored Outlook back to its former functionality.

Thanks everyone for the useful information.

As Outlook will not allow iCloud accounts to be the default accounts much of the usual Outlook behavior is gone.

Event invitations will not go to the Outlook calendar, neither will Contact cards that you accept (instead they will go to the iCloud equivalents)

There are other issues but if you are OK with those changes, OK.

You're wrong. You shouldn't be answering or replying to any questions pertaining to MS Outlook. You have a very obvious bias. You are neither informed nor helpful. Get a life

Sorry Old Boy, 100% accurate, but you are correct regarding bias, Outlook is a piece of junk.

And don't tell me what to do, you have no juice, so nothing will come of it.

Please be more specific in your opinion that MS Outlook is 'junk'.

"...you have no juice, so nothing will come of it"

You participate in the forum at the pleasure of the forum administrator. The admin has juice - you do not