Help! Address Book empty

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Sjaak Zwart - 15 Oct 2006 16:35 GMT

Hooray, I don't know how this could happen, but suddenly Address Book is
completely empty!

I've found the following message in console.log:
Address Book[2286] Could not find image named 'QuestionMark'.

Unfortunately, there is no recent back-up..
In an attempt to get everything back I did an iSync with my Palm Treo
650, which resulted in an empty Contacts list on the Palm as well..
Happily enough, I could resolve this by restoring from a fresh back-up.

The question now is: how can I refill Apple's Adress Book?

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matt neuburg - 15 Oct 2006 18:00 GMT

> Hooray, I don't know how this could happen, but suddenly Address Book is
> completely empty!
>
> I've found the following message in console.log:
> Address Book[2286] Could not find image named 'QuestionMark'.

Start by repairing permissions (or check the permissions on the Address
Book app). We just finished talking about a very similar-sounding
problem:

<http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.mac.apps/browse_frm/thread/f48c
2b64b89b4048/14b677a457420f99?hl=en#14b677a457420f99>

m.

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matt neuburg, phd = matt@tidbits.com, http://www.tidbits.com/matt/
Tiger - http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/tiger-customizing.html
AppleScript - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596102119
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Sjaak Zwart - 16 Oct 2006 23:56 GMT

> > Hooray, I don't know how this could happen, but suddenly Address Book is
> > completely empty!
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> <http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.mac.apps/browse_frm/thread/f48c
> 2b64b89b4048/14b677a457420f99?hl=en#14b677a457420f99>

Thanks for your reply.

Repairing permissions didn't do it.

Checked permissions on the files in

~/Library/ApplicationSupport/AddressBook

and all of the files have read & write permissions.

Changing the permissions on the application from system to user didn't
help either.

I think I got this problem:
<http://groups.google.nl/group/comp.sys.mac.apps/browse_thread/thread/19
f1ff59bbb3b7a0/6240570802c9286e?lnk=gst&q=address+book+empty&rnum=3#6240
570802c9286e>

Unfortunately there is no recent back-up. Syncing with my Treo via iSync
would be the easiest thing to do, but that leaves my Treo Contacts list
empty as well..

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matt neuburg - 17 Oct 2006 01:05 GMT

> > > Hooray, I don't know how this could happen, but suddenly Address Book is
> > > completely empty!
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
> f1ff59bbb3b7a0/6240570802c9286e?lnk=gst&q=address+book+empty&rnum=3#6240
> 570802c9286e>

Sounds bad. Unfortunately the AddressBook API is wide open - any
application can mess with your addresses.

<http://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/Addr
essBook/index.html>

I could write a program that pretends to do something else but also
maliciously removes all your addresses. You'd never be able to figure
out how it happened. m.

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Sjaak Zwart - 17 Oct 2006 11:52 GMT

> > I think I got this problem:
> > <http://groups.google.nl/group/comp.sys.mac.apps/browse_thread/thread/19
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Sounds bad. Unfortunately the AddressBook API is wide open - any
> application can mess with your addresses.

Maybe that's what happenend. I've had a major crash in Safari. So bad,
that all the preferences were set back to the default values, including
the Bookmarks > Collections > Address Book setting.

> <http://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/Addr
> essBook/index.html>

It also sounds pretty scary to me that _every_ program can access my
addresses.

> I could write a program that pretends to do something else but also
> maliciously removes all your addresses. You'd never be able to figure
> out how it happened. m.

And other bad things, I guess.

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Shawn Hirn - 15 Oct 2006 22:39 GMT

> Hooray, I don't know how this could happen, but suddenly Address Book is
> completely empty!
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> The question now is: how can I refill Apple's Adress Book?

Open up AddressBook and pull down the File menu and select "revert to
previous address book backup."

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Sjaak Zwart - 16 Oct 2006 23:56 GMT

> Open up AddressBook and pull down the File menu and select "revert to
> previous address book backup."

Unfortunately there is no recent back-up:-(

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Sjaak Zwart - 18 Oct 2006 13:46 GMT

> Hooray, I don't know how this could happen, but suddenly Address Book is
> completely empty!
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> The question now is: how can I refill Apple's Adress Book?

Found the solution: Exporting from Palm Desktop in vcal format.
But a lot of trouble with conduits, etcetera. Would be happy to dump the
Palm software and do everything with iSync.

Thanks everyone for your help.

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Sjaak Zwart - 19 Oct 2006 18:53 GMT

> > Hooray, I don't know how this could happen, but suddenly Address Book is
> > completely empty!
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>
> Thanks everyone for your help.

In nl.comp.sys.mac someone suggests the following workaround:

1. Change the name of the file Addressbook.data to Addressbook_OLD.
2. Change the name of the file Addressbook.data.previous to
Addressbook.data

If this doesn't reanimate the addresses, try a name change of the file
Addressbook.data.beforesafe to Addressbook.data

Don't know if this works, but it might be helpfull to someone.

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Mac Forum / Applications / Mac Applications / October 2006

Help! Address Book empty