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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Restoring misplaced address book data.

voxwal - Mar 23, 2008 - 2:46 am

Restoring misplaced address book data. (March 22, ‘08)

This is 2nd inquiry re this subject. The first one was apparently interpreted as a request for info re back-up and restoration of back-up, and resulted in a macsox rep's referring me to an Apple/Mac tech support website which I did not find addressing my particular inquiry.

Am restating my problem here:

On an Imac w/ OS 10.4.11 and employing a firefox v2.0.0.12 browser (not safari), I inadvertently brought a document (i.e., a simple, white page-like icon labeled "addressbook.data" to the desk top, and then dragged and dropped it to my Zip disk icon. Was able to confirm that "addressbook.data" was copied to the Zip disk, but it now appears there as a black rectangle rather than as the white page-like icon.

Suspecting I might have goofed (i.e., removed the essence of my address
book's contents), I immediately checked and, indeed, all but 2 of some 60 or 70 addresses, etc., were "missing."

Am I correct in assuming the missing addresses ought to be found on
"addressbook.data"..?

When I attempt to drag the “addressbook.data” icon from the Zip disk, I get a “choose application” box showing a flock of applications from which to choose. I have no idea as to which should be my choice, but hope the choosing the correct one will restore the data address data to the book.

Advice?

Voxwal

earthsaver - Mar 23, 2008 - 11:09 am

Did you respond to the reply you got from your first inquiry to clarify your scenario and continue the conversation? If that tech couldn't help further, s/he would have reopened your question for other techs to address.

You can't open the addressbook.data file outright; Address Book won't read it alone. It probably wants at least ABPerson.index as well, and it wants them together in the proper location. Instead, you need to put it back in the AddressBook folder in Home/Library/Application Support. (In the future, if you need to backup your Address Book, you should use the Backup command in the File menu.)

But since you dragged addressbook.data to a Zip disk, you probably still have the original on the desktop, right?, which you can put back where it goes, open Address Book and go.

- Ben

voxwal - Mar 24, 2008 - 4:54 am

Voila!! You have done it! Data restored!!! Thank you very much. Sorry it's been such a tedious and lengthy process, but it's Easter, the day has been fractured, one of us has the flu and, we're relative novices!

If you would, I'd like to understand why the missing "AddressBook.data" icon appeared to keep changing from a white letter page design to a black "wide screen" design with an unreadably tiny figure or text at its upper left corner.

Final comment: As someone who has, for most of my life, dealt with functional design (of ads, posters, commerials, etc., etc.) I find the layout of most forums to be terribly cluttered with distracting text boxes, blurbs, notes, cautions, warnings, graphic non-sequiturs, ambiguities and often just plain bad instructional writing. They lack the clean "Start-here-and-then-proceed-through-here,-here,-here-and-
here,-and-come-out-down-here!" that one would expect a question answering service to strive for!

Can someone close out the first ticket on this issue? (#336733)
With that -- and a final thank you to you, Ben -- we can close out ticket #336756.

Voxwal

voxwal - Mar 24, 2008 - 4:59 am

Can someone close out the first ticket on this issue? (#336733)
With that -- and a final thank you to you, Ben -- we can close out ticket #336756.

Voxwal

earthsaver - Mar 24, 2008 - 7:56 am

The blank document icon is the generic icon associated with files the Finder doesn't know what application to call to open. The other one you described is the UNIX command icon. I don't know what the file was shifting between them.

If you still have access to 336733 via an old email or the list of your questions from the macosx.com site link, you should be able to close it yourself. Otherwise, it should expire in a couple days. This site still isn't as well organized as it could be and you can submit that feedback directly to Scott, its creator.