Methods for Backing Up Address Book

I'm researching two methods of backing up my Address Book information.
1.) Choosing "Back up Address Book" from the File menu in the Address Book application. This creates a .abbu file with the date attached for you to save in any location you specify.
2.) Copying the entire "Address Book" folder from ~Library/Application Support/. This will include the files: (ABPerson.skIndex, ABPerson.skIndexInverted, AddressBook.data, AddressBook.data.beforesave, AddressBook.data.previous, Images)
My question: Is there a difference in these two methods? If I restore from method #1 will my results be different then restoring from method #2.
Why I'm asking: I'm using Retrospect to back up all my data to an external drive periodically. By using Retrospect, I'd have to use method #2 since it's an automated task.
Thanks in Advance,
Al
PS> I have the same question in regards to the iCal database.
PowerMac G4 (Digital Audio) / PowerBook G4 15 Mac OS X (10.4.4)

I figured it out

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Doesn't iPhone transfer any changes made to contacts back into Address Book

I was under the impression that I could make changes to my contacts on my iPhone and then when I sync'd, those changes would be applied to my Address Book on my computer.
Example - I sync'd all of my contacts from my computer onto my iPhone. Today one of my coworkers gave me her cell phone number. I added this right into my phone, thinking that when I sync'd tonight, that number would be put into Address Book. It did not happen. The number did not go into Address Book, and her original contact info (with no cell phone number) was transferred back onto the iPhone. What would cause this, I can't find any settings that I have wrong.....

David -
iPhone does indeed transfer any calendar event or address book addition that you added to your iPhone back to your computer. It works seemlessly on mine. When I add something to my iPhone for example and it starts to sync, when it sees a change a message box pops up on my Macbook and asks me if I want certain changes to take place (it will give you the number of items that are either being added straight out or simply modified).
I'm not sure if you are working on a Mac or PC, but my guess is you should be seeing this box and having the option to add or modify. If you are not than that probably is the problem.
Try holding down the sleep button on the iPhone for a few seconds until you see the APPLE logo. This will reset the phone. It could be a glitch between your phone an dthe system. If that doesn't work try hard resetting then adding all your info in. Also in iTunes there is an option tab for Calendar and Address Book. While I'm not sure this would work, you can give it a shot - try unchecking which ever one (or both) you are finding won't sync, then syncing iPhone, then re-chceking them, and syncing again.
I guess try everything you can yourself before calling Apple tech.
Hope any of these help!
J

What are the correct privileges for Wheel in address book.app 5.0.3?

I think I messed with the privileges for Wheel in Address Book.app 5.0.3. Can anyone tell me if it should be set to Read only or to Read & Write?
Scared to close the info window until I have sorted this out!

Hide function in Login Items doesn't work for iChat and Address Book app.

There is a problem with the hide function for iChat and Address Book application in Login Items. If you go to System Preferences, click on Login Items, add the iChat and Address Book application to the Login Items, activate the hide function for iChat and Address Book application and restart your Mac iChat and Address Book application will start with opening a window. Normally this shouldn't happen if the hide function in Login Items is activated for iChat and Address Book application.
Message was edited by: Roman Patrice Gego

Hi,
Your link refers to changes to 10.6.3 prior release as tested by Developers.
The numbering system tells us that. (Build 10Dxxx).
Therefore it is an Update and not an Upgrade, therefore no-one is going to get charged.
If the article is the so called Release Notes then they mention nothing about correcting any issue with Login Items Hiding.
If you think an issue is being missed there is a place to report that, from this icon view list http://www.apple.com/feedback/ which includes Hardware and Software.
I personally have not tested Login Items Hiding as I tend to think there is no point in having an App open if it not on the Desktop.
As Kappy pointed out there was little progress on a similar issue with Leopard.
This could be interpreted that Apple feel that the issue does not effect enough people or that other issues are more important.
As anyone and everyone can report Issues and contribute their ideas to the OS and it's improvement via the Feedback links it would seem to be a question of enough people bringing it to Apple's Attention.
I would tend to work on Issues that stopped an App functioning first, linked with integration with the OS and any changes to the major parts of it such as a Quicktime.
Lesser issues that maybe more cosmetic in appearance would tend to fall down my list of things to do.
Presumably Apple have a grading system on such things that may not fit with either of our views.
As Apple don't reveal any details about the OS Updates or even Upgrades then anything any of us think we interpret as a pattern is just that - an interpretation.
Consequently anything we say on the subject is then likely to be seen as speculation under the Terms of Use of these Boards.
8:28 PM Sunday; May 9, 2010
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

A way to check for doubles in Address Book

Is there a way or software to check for doubles in Address Book ?
Thanks

Address Book>Card>Look for Duplicates.
hpr3

How to sync iPhone contacts back to Address Book.

I came across this problem and found a work-around on the forums, but some guys there–including myself–felt that iTunes should sync our contacts bi-directionally from iPhone to Address Book on our Macs, and vice versa.
As it turns out, that's really the default behavior in iTunes when syncing between iPhone/Address Book on the Mac. However, if you've been using iCloud to sync everything lateley, this will not be the default behavior, because your iTunes won't sync anything back to your Address Book on the Mac unless you completly disconnect from iCloud services.
So..... if you want to sync your contacts from your iPhone back to your Address Book on your Mac, I'm providing this simple, yet tedious, solution:
Step 1: Open Address Book on your Mac, select all of your contacts, and press delete. You'll be asked if you really want to delete the contacts. Hit ok and continue.
Step 2: Navigate to: Macintosh HD/Users/(YourUserName)/Library/Application Support/Address Book.
Note* On OS X Lion, your Library folder will not be shown. You'll have to navigate there a different way. The way I did it was:
Click the "Go" option up in the Finder menu bar.
Toward the bottom of the pull-down menu, click on the "Go to Folder..." option.
Type "~(YourUserName)/Library/Application Support/Address Book.
Once there, I searched through all the folders included and deleted anything that ended in ".plist" or ".log". This way, Address Book is completely reset when next open it.
Step 3: Open Address Book, add at least one contact if none are automatically created for you, and make sure iCloud is Disabled (if an account is there) in your Address Book Preferences pane, which you find by clicking "Address Book" in the top menu bar. Then, quit Address Book.
Step 4: On your iPhone, open your Settings app, go to the iCloud option, and turn all services off. After turning each one off, it will ask you if you want to keep the data on you phone. Always select "Yes", otherwise you may lose your data.
Step 5: Connect your iPhone to your computer, open iTunes, select your iPhone in the left column, select the "Info" tab, and check the box to "Sync Contacts"–further down on the page, in the Advanced section, make sure the Contacts checkbox is unchecked. If it's checked when you sync, iTunes will overwrite the contacts on your phone with the contacts from Address Book on your Mac.
Step 6: Sync your iPhone–This will sync the contacts from your phone to the Address Book app on your Mac.
Step 7: Open up Address Book, and add an iCloud account, or re-enable the one you disabled in step 3–This will sync all of those contacts to your iCloud account again. Then, you can also go back to the iCloud settings on your phone and turn all the services back on.
After all this, you should have been able to first sync your contacts from you iPhone back to your Address Book app on your Mac, then have them both synced up through iCloud with the same contacts being pushed everywhere.
Hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for all this, unfortunately it's still not helping me. Last week I turned on iCloud for contacts and not only did the iCloud sync fail, but now with iCloud off I haven't been able to sync iphone-to-mac thru iTunes.
I've checked that iCloud contact sync'ing is off, on both my Mac and iPhone. I've even turned off all other iCloud services on both devices. I followed your instructions precisely and even deleted more than you suggested from the App Support | Address Book folder. Step 6 just doesn't work. iTunes whips thru the Address Book sync progress when it should pause a bit to do the transfer—my Address Book archive is 44 Mb.
I have no desire to waste more time with iCloud, just want it to work the old fashioned way. I'd gladly do a clean system re-install but not sure even that would do it…hard to tell where the problem lies.
Appreciate any light you could shed!

"FROM" shows email address, not name, for a few address book entries

What is strange is that for the people it happens to, Mail IS able to successfully cross-reference them to an address book entry by showing their real name (and photo if I have one), in the BODY of the message. In other words, Mail will always resolved email address into names in the body of mail messages (100% of the time if I have a matching address book entry), but will only show names rather than addresses in the list view maybe 85% of the time. Weird. Seems like mail should either know the sender and display a name instead of address, or not. My issue is that is knows them in the body but doesn't in the messages list (above the preview pane).
I can't figure out what about the address book card for these few people is any different from the others one which do the name matching perfectly every time.
A small concern here, I know, but it is very annoying that I can't figure this out. I first noticed it back with Mail for Tiger. Any ideas?

Brent W. wrote:
It is easy to prove. Create an address book card for a sender already in your Inbox, give this new address card a fake name, and the Mail app will substitute the fake name in the "From:" field of the email message.
you are right. It is easy to prove and Mail doesn't do anything of the sort when i try it. On the other hand if I change the From field when composing a message, any recipient (using mail or any other email client) will see that name. that name is sent with the message and you can see it if you view the raw source of the message. Mail certainly never changes raw source.

Help Get back old Address Book

I recently had some type of virus sending out a link from my contact book through Yahoo!, but only while my computer was physically turned off. I read online other people having this problem deleted their address book to get rid of it. I did that assuming I could delete it, then sync from my Mac Address Book.
Except it went the other way, now both are empty. I really want my address book on my Mac back as it linked BDays to Calendar and had photos of everyone.
Can someone tell me how to do this? I tried going into Time Machine to before I deleted, but it did not work. I assume restoring the Address Book only restores the software not the data it held. Can I restore the data that was in the Address Book at a given point?
I appreciate any help.

On your first point I agree, I could have avoided this by simply backing up my Address book data - takes a few seconds and it was silly not to.
On your second...It could very well be a coincidence that the email went out while the computer was turned off. It is a fact that an email went out (twice - 6 weeks apart) from my account to my entire Yahoo! contact list containing only a link to something malicious that luckily only one person clicked on and required their computer to be wiped. I promise you it does in fact exist. It was very much in my sent box and most friends replied immediately to let me know it happened.
I am sure you see the idiocy in your comment that if it hasn't happened to you, or anyone you know - it doesn't exist.
Anyway - it worked perfectly, I do appreciate your time. By chance do you know if there is some literature or a site that explains how the Sync works. What I mean is, for example, my wife and I both sync our calendar and contact lists through Mobile Me. If we both make changes between syncs, does it make both match the one that made the most recent change, or can you set up some type of master? I don't mind looking for the answer myself, but if you know a starting point I'd appreciate it.
Thanks again.

ICloud/Solution for cleaning up address book duplicates

I so identify with anyone who has this problem of having address book duplicates. Took me at least five tries to get it right!!!!
The directions that Apple gives only really work if you only have one device. There are very few articles that deal with the problem of coordinating multiple devices so it was a trial and error effort to make things work.
I have 6 desktop and mobile devices attached to my account and wanted them all to sync using ICLOUD. I'd get one or two set up and then the next one would add in the duplicates. Was making me crazy. Here is what I finally did to solve the problem:
1. Using your desktop app, export a clean copy of your address book to your desktop. If your file is contaminated with duplicates already, go back and find an older copy.
2. Using your desktop app, delete all of the entries. Then go to System preferences and turn on the Cloud for Address Book. It should be empty.
3. Turn the cloud off for each and every device you own. It will ask if you want to save the contacts or delete them. Choose delete.
4. Every device will now be empty of data.
5. I was unsuccessful at bringing my data back in using the Cloud web site. So I went back to my desktop app and brought it in that way. Then, I turned the Cloud back on. If you've done it right, all you should see is the Cloud symbol above where it says ALL CONTACTS. Immediately, all of my devices filled up with the same information. I double checked by adding a new data entry. And all of the devices updated with it.
The next day, I noticed that my desktop app was not doing the cloud updates, although all of my other devices were. So I went to the desktop app preferences, deleted the entries and then turned the cloud back on. Immediately the desktop app updated with cloud contacts. Now, it syncs just fine.
BTW, everything is done by an "air sync" and if you actually connect your device to ITUNES, the address book will be greyed out. Don't change the setting. You don't ever want to sync the data with ITUNES again -- or you'll get your duplicates back!
The iCloud is genius. Sure makes life simpler and easier. So if you have problems in the beginning, don't give up. The end result is so worth it!!!
Good luck!

Hi guys,
This hasn't helped with me as the MobileMe account won't allow me to disable it or even delete it from the desktop app.
Here's my issue (https://discussions.apple.com/message/18525465#18525465):
I am having real problems with Address Book after transfering from MobileMe to iCloud.
I have two accounts running at the moment:
MobileMe - xxxxxx
iCloud - xxxxx (using my Apple ID as they suggest)
This means that I have two accounts in my Address book with duplicate details.
I have turned off the MobileMe account on my iMac - and they still show in Address Book.
I have gone in to Address Book preferences and tried to disable the MobileMe Account by unchecking the 'Enable this account' button ... but it simply checks itself again. So I still have duplicates.
I have removed the MobileMe account altogether from the Address Book Accounts pane, but when I restart the app they just come back again!
I have gone on to the MobileMe Address Book online and deleted all of the contacts - but they have not been deleted off of my Address Book.
Can someone please tell me how I can remove this account from my Address Book as it's driving me mad, I dont want it anymore and it also means that I now have a duplicate Birthdays account in my iCal as well!!!
Any idea of any fixes for this?
<Edited By Host>

Time Capsule will not back up address book

Fior some reason Time Capsule will not back up my address book. When I delete an address and start up Time Machine, it will show my address book screen. However all my "older" address book screens in time machine are blank. I have searched various forums but have not been able to find other topics on this issue. Is here anybody who has a clue (the address book is not exempted for back up)?

I just checked to see if TM was backing up my address book, and at first I saw the same thing you're describing, but after a minute or so, old backups appeared. Have you waited a minute to see what happens?

How to Change the Font Type for Printing Pocket Address Book?

I am new to the Mac and was entering in my contact info into the Address Book in hope of creating a Pocket Address Book (PAB). When I attempt to print out the PAB the default font is courier. When I click on "set" and access other font types, sizes, etc., I can't seem to find a way to apply or save the font type that I choose. In short, it stays as courier. I found an archived thread in a forum that suggests to validate the font I want - which I did and it was already validated - and otherwise I cannot seem to change it from courier. Any help on how to get the font I select to be applied instead of courier would be GREATLY appreciated!

You can also change it using the UIManager:
UIManager.put("OptionPane.foreground", Color.red);
UIManager.put("OptionPane.messageForeground", Color.red);
For a complete list of all properties you can change for each component check out this program:
http://www.discoverteenergy.com/files/ShowUIDefaults.java

What is the best method for backing up photos in IPhoto?

I have over 10,000 photos in IPhoto and am looking for the best method for doing a backup (or an archive?). I'm now using ICloud and it appears it's just photo streaming and does not have storage capability. External hard drive, copying to a DVD, other suggestions?

Most Simple Back Up
Drag the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to another Disk. This will make a copy on that disk.
Slightly more complex:
Use an app that will do incremental back ups. This is a very good way to work. The first time you run the back up the app will make a complete copy of the Library. Thereafter it will update the back up with the changes you have made. That makes subsequent back ups much faster. Many of these apps also have scheduling capabilities: So set it up and it will do the back up automatically. Examples of such apps: Chronosync or DejaVu . But are many others. Search on MacUpdate
My Routine
My Library lives on my iMac. It’s Backed up to two external hard disks every day. These disks are permanently attached to the iMac. These back ups run automatically. One is done by Time Machine, one is a bootable back up done by SuperDuper
It’s also backed up to a portable hard disk when ever new photos are added. This hard disk lives in my car. For security, this disk is password protected.
I have a second off-site back up at a relative’s house across town. That’s updated every 3 or 4 months.
My Photos are backed up online. There are many options: Flickr, Picasa, SmugMug etc. However, check the terms of your account carefully. While most sites have free uploading, you will often find that these uploads are limited in terms of the file size or the bandwidth you can use per month. For access that allows you to upload full size pics with no restrictions you may need to pay.
Every couple of months I test the back ups to make sure they are working correctly. It’s very easy to mis-configure a back up application, and the only way to protect against that is to do a trial restore.

Maximum data size for notes in Address Book ?

Does anyone know if there is a definable limit to the amount of text the Note field will accept ?
I'm trying to migrate a colleague from Now Contact to Address Book (primarily for the cloud/sync facilities, he has .Mac, and accounts on four separate macs), and Now Contact has the ability to store multiple individual Note attachments per contact. I can script to consolidate the potential data for each contact, but was wondering if I was going to run into trouble dumping as much as, say, 1024k text into the Note field for one contact.
Any pointers appreciated, thanks.
Andy.

There is no defined limit to the size of Notes data in Address Book, at least that Apple has documented.
Mulder

Can't import backed up address book after hard drive crash

I had a hard drive crash that sent my G5 into the shop. In the mean time I used my laptop and added info to address book, then transferred that info onto the new hard drive on the G5 when I got it back from the shop. So now I have a current address book and an older backed up copy on another drive. If I try to import the backed up info in address book, it tells me it will overwrite the current version. I want to keep the addresses that I added while my Mac was in the shop and ADD (not overwrite) the addresses from the backed-up copy. How can I do this? Thanks so much!
Dan

Opening a backup will always overwrite the existing data. I'll try to explain my solution better:
You have your Address Book data and your backup. You want to combine them, but Address Book can only use one or the other. Combining them implies that you'll use an export-and-reimport sequence.
To export your existing data, select the All group. Go to the names column and select them all with the Cmd-A shortcut. Drag that column to the desktop to make a vCard that contains all of your contacts.
Now the copy of your current address data is on your desktop, so the copy in the Address Book application can be overwritten. Read in the backup to bring the backup contacts into Address Book. The other collection of your contacts is the vCard on your desktop, so drag that in and it will be imported without overwriting the existing data (but it will be merged in if there are duplicate cards).

Best method for backing up macbook air?

Please tell me what would be the best method to back up my macbook air?

Yes, this i know, Since I have nearly 100 HD laying around, when I clone my system, its bootable, and the second HD becomes the defacto recovery
at the very worst, you can reload the OS online. But yes, youre correct, but Superduper is FREE, and CCC surely isnt.
as a "clone it all" option, Superduper is great for HD upgrading and emergency backup for laptop HD. Since laptops HD are prone to failure (not SSD as in the AIR), keeping a cloned backup is a great idea.
But yes, your right, ......I consider a second cloned HD a "recovery HD", ......but not in the sense you imply.......
An ERROR that both superduper and CCC make in a CLONE, however, is they write the BOOT FILES in a diff. location, so if you install the replacement HD after a crash, it will (not 1st time which is always slow) cause slightly slower startup from poweron.......in which case you have to reinstall the OS on the CLONE...........that IS if you care that much about a few extra seconds boot time on your replacement cloned HD.
But LION and MOUNTAIN LION systems *also* have "Network Recovery", which can download and install without a recovery volume.

Methods for Backing Up Address Book

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