ICal error - can't see the calendars on opening...

Question

iCal error - can't see the calendars on opening... unless i change the view - but then still the portlet in the top left hand corner remains blank.
Re-installed the whole OSx system from original disks and still the same problem.
cleared out the cache files, including trying to delete the metadata files... taken to my local Apple Centre (Academy) but no sucess so far.
Any ideas? Is it because i have around 8 calendars? Is that too many?
Could it be 'cos I sync with Missing Sync for my Palm TX?
H E L P !!
Powerbook G4   Mac OS X (10.4.7)  

Answer 1

When a user launches iCal, they may have one of the following symptoms:
* When iCal is launched the calendar is blank -- no calendars are listed on the left and no events appear in the day/week/month views
* Switching views allows all events to appear but the calendars on the left are still missing
* User can create a new event and designate a calendar but when the event is saved it cannot be seen
* Clicking in the blank space where the calendars are supposed to be has no effect.
This issue is a Sync Services issue and not directly related to The Missing Sync. Mark/Space has identified a couple of solutions to this problem that others have reported. For more information, see: http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20060207074628694
1) Quit iCal
2) Locate the folder, User/Library/Application Support/iCal/Sources/ and delete the contents
3) After deleting the files from this folder, lock the "Sources" folder. Do this by navigating up one level and selecting the "Sources" folder. Perform a "Get Info" (either through the "File" menu or by pressing Command-I with the "Sources" folder selected) then click the lock icon.
4) Launch iCal and your calendars should reappear. Note that the relaunch of iCal will create a default 'Home' and 'Work' calendar, so make sure none of your calendars have the same names as the default .
Do some backups first
Follow those simple steps
5) Go to Address Book, click on 'File' menu and choose 'Back up Address Book'. Go to iCal, click on 'File' menu and choose 'Back up database'.
6) Go to Missing Sync and double click on the Backup Conduit and set it to backup all databases. Then run the sync with just that Backup conduit selected, disable all other conduits.
7) Go to: /Users/<user name>/Documents/Palm/Users/<hotsync name>/ now hold the 'ctrl' key and click on the /Backups/ folder. Choose the option to 'Create Archive of "Backups"'. This is to safeguard your backed up data in case anything goes wrong.
Now 'Reset Sync History' using the iSync preferences option. The first sync will likely be slower.
8) Launch iSync
9) Click on the iSync menu
10) Choose Preferences (make sure the "Enable syncing on this computer" is checked)
11) Click the 'Reset Sync History' button. Read and follow the onscreen directions.
12) This may launch iCal. Also the status of the reset is showing in the iSync display. When the reset is complete quit both iSync and iCal.
Launch Missing Sync and enable the Mark/Space Events and Tasks conduits and set them to Desktop overwrite Handheld. Disable all other conduits.
Then sync, when you do, you will get a dialog box with an orange iSync icon on it. Check the box to erase the device, then click the 'Allow' button. It will overwrite your device. You will get one for events, one for tasks, and one for contacts. The next time you sync .mac or other devices that sync with iSync like an iPod, you will get these same dialog boxes for their databases and you should check the box and click 'Allow' in those cases as well.
If you press the don't allow button you will need to reboot your computer.