Gmail ruined my contacts list-a complex problem
 

I'll try to make this short. So I just signed up for gmail and added it to my BB Tour email application. I checked the "sync contacts" option on the setup (actually, it was prechecked, and I didn't uncheck it). After the first sync, I noticed that all my contacts disappeared on the BB, but they existed on the gmail account. Someone else on this forum said to make some random insignificant change on Gmail and it will resync back.

That worked, but the "restored" contact data on the BB was all screwed up: first name in the last name field, all address fields squeezed into the first line, the pictures all disappeared, duplicate entries, etc. Fortunately, I had the original data on Outlook on my laptop, so I synced my BB with Outlook, with the "computer to BB one way" configuration, thinking all the messed up contact data would be restored by the correct Outlook data.

Well, Desktop Manager didn't seem to notice that the BB contact data was screwed up and ignored it during the sync (i.e. nothing synced). So I tried changing one contact on Outlook (something insignificant, like changing Street to St.) to see if the change was recognized. I synced again, and this time, the correct data replaced the screwed up data, (even the stuff that I didn't change... weird) but the city, state, and zip fields on the BB remained blank. I synced again, but now once again, Desktop Manager seemed to think that it was just fine and didn't recognize any differences between Outlook and the BB.

So... I know that was confusing, but summary, I have an Outlook Contacts list that is correct, and a BB Contacts list that is screwed up, but Desktop Manager can't detect the differences between the two, unless I make some small random change, then all of a sudden, it sees ALL the differences. The problem with manually making changes on all my contacts is that 1) I have over 1200 contacts, and 2) the City/State/Zip disappear when I try this technique. I tried to do the standard sync (two way), but then the Desktop Manager now does notice the differences and wants to change the correct Outlook data with the screwed up BB data!!

So now, I can't sync my BB to Outlook at all, even if I add new contacts on the BB, or else all the old correct entries will get changed to the screwed up version as a result. Again, if I try to sync the Outlook data back to the BB, then the differences are ignored. But a BB to Outlook sync does recognize the differences!! I'm assuming that Desktop Manager thinks that the BB changes were the latest and wants to apply the last changes to Outlook, but not the other way around.

Does anyone know how I can deal with this? I think my only choice is to go ahead with the two way sync and then manually correct all 1200 entries back on Outlook! I've tried all sorts of configuration changes, conflict resolution settings, etc, and nothing works. I just need to be able to do a one way sync from Outlook to BB without making manual changes to all 1200 entries.

I'm not sure who I hate more: BB or Google.

I would appreciate any reply to this, even if it's just words of sympathy.

Thanks.

1. Confirm your Outlook data is correct.
2. Connect your BlackBerry to the USB > Desktop Manager > Backup/Restore > Advanced.
3. In the RIGHT hand pane, you will see your device data. Scroll down to the Address Book data, so that line is highlighted. Click the CLEAR button below. This will delete ALL the Address book data on your device.
4. Sync your Outlook data to the BlackBerry as you would normally.

Good luck.

Google seems to make same problems all over again

well you can try this

1.Check if your contact list on Google mail is ok
2. If its not, then fix Google mail contacts
3 After that delete your address book from device
4.Connect device to computer
5.Open BlackBerry desktop Manager
6. Go to back up and restore> make back up
7. Then click on advanced and clear address book all
8. Now go on your device and open email settings.
9. Delete Gmail account
10. Pool the battery out from device
11. Wait for 15-30 sec and put battery back
12. Device will power up
13. Go back to email settings and add you Gmail account again
14. Turn wireless sync on
15. Gmail will sync contacts list back to the device

Be aware that sometimes Gmail wireless sync can be up to 4 hours

After contact are copied from Gmail to device
turn off wireless synchronization

If you want to sync again with outlook

do this

1. Delete contact from Microsoft Outlook
2 Open DM and Sync one way from device to Outlook
If sync is not successful
You will have to delete intellisync folder and then reconfigure synchronization.
On DM click on options>data folder options
In new windows copy folder destination under curent folder and paste it in windows explorer address bar
will opne folder and then delete intellysinc folder
Go back to DM and click on synchronize
on left side click on synchronization under configure
on right side click on reset configuration \
will be prompt that this will change sync data for PIN XXXXXXX
click after then on synchronization above
Configure intellisync for synchronization
Be sure to make a back up of device with correct address book
Try to sync with outlook





Let me know if this worked for you

this has worked for me.

and next time you put in a gmail acct, make sure uncheck that box

Thanks everyone for such a quick reply! This is a very helpful forum. Unfortunately, when I tried clearing the contact info on my BB then sync to to Outlook, the Desktop Manager interpreted this as deletions, and then tried to delete my Outlook Data as well. I think the way DM works is to see which side the last change was made and force it on the other side.

I think my only option is to go through every Outlook entry and make a change (I think pasting the address into the notes area would be useful, since it will be lost in the subsequent sync), then do a oneway resync. DM will then recognize the change on the laptop side, and then fix the BB entries. This will take a while... wish me luck!

No, you don't have to do that, editing every single contact in Outlook.

You need to set your DM sync, at least for this run, to sync ONEWAY only from the Desktop to the BlackBerry device.

I've done this many many times, on many devices.

As for Mr. BB Techsupport's advice above, I'd highly recommend you ignore it.

LOL!!! Yes.

Hi, thanks for your tips. I already have set the DM sync config to sync one way. However, unless I actually have something changed on the computer side, DM does not sync the entry. This makes me understand the DM algorhythm better. It does not compare the two sides for differences, but rather checks either side for any recent changes, then transfers the change to the other side. If a change has been made on both sides, then there is a conflict, and it will ask you which side should override. But again, it does not analyze and compare the two sides for differences denovo each time you sync. That is my theory... This is very different from the Palm Hotsync that I am used to, which does actually compare the two sides each time you plug in.

Thanks again.

Help - Got the same problem
 

I got the ALMOST same problem with dr997 above. I checked the "sync contacts" option on the email setup in my BB. After the sync process completed, I noticed that SOME of my contacts disappeared on the BB, but when I check my gmail via gmail.com, I found around new 4,000 (yes 4 thousand) contact existed on the gmail account.

The rest of the story similar to dr997.. Basically I could NOT restore the contacts to my BB even from Advance setting (using the most recent back-up data). At the Advance window, I got the following message:

"Databases that are unvailable in the list have been configured for wireless sync or wireless backup and are read-only. you can not restore or clear them"

VERY frustrating.

I also FAILED to sync my contacts from MS Outlook to BB (one way from MS Outlook to BB). I tried a few attemps, each time I got different result. Some (random) contacts are always missing in the BB. Sometime all contacts start with "B" are missing and another attemp all contacts start with "E" are missing..

On top of that, now when I press short cut "s" from home screen to search.. I could NOT find the Contact field any longer...weird huh!

I also check in Option> Status> Menu and Database Size
I could NO longer see Address Book there....

VERY VERY frustrating...

@JSANDER I tried to follow above steps BUT I coud NOT clear the Address book on the RIGHT pane in Advance setting. All I could see in the RIGHT hand pane (on the device) only one "Address Book - Last Used Hints" I could NO longer see NOR find any other Address Book data...(ussually you could see the number of contact beside it)

Now when I highlight this "Address Book - Last Used Hints" and hit CLEAR button at the bottom, it did NOT cause any changes in my contacts in my BB. The contacts remain the same as is...

At the bottom of the pane I could see the following message:
"Databases that are unvailable in the list have been configured for wireless sync or wireless backup and are read-only. you can not restore or clear them"

I have total around 6,000 contacts in my BB with each contact consist of detail info (home phone, work phone, email etc etc). I could NOT afford to re-type one by one...Please urgently help... Greatly appreciate for the help...

Help....
 

Anyone could help? anybody from RIM or Gmail?

I had a similar issue with the "sync contacts" option on BIS. I deleted and re-added my gmail account through BIS, checked the "sync contacts" box and my contacts were all screwed up. I had lots of duplicates, or middle initials were moved to the beginning of the last name field, addresses were moving around to other contacts, etc.

I realized I had Gmail's Contact Sync running, Tmobile's Contact sync/backup (whatever it's called) running, and now this BIS contact sync. I turned off all of them, deleted all my contacts from Gmail, and restored my contacts from my last DM backup, then turned on the Gmail Contact Sync (via application, not BIS) and now everything is ok again.

"data1025" thanks for your response. I could not restore the contacts from previous DM as I explained above:

"Databases that are unvailable in the list have been configured for wireless sync or wireless backup and are read-only. you can not restore or clear them"

After a few days lost of sleep, I managed to solve it. Heres is how:
- Wipe the BB
- Upgrade to newer version of OS
- I did NOT restore all BUT using ADVANCE OPTIONS to just restore the contacts portion only

I found out that many of my friends experiance the same headache...we all feel soo VERY dissapointed to lose a few productive days for this VERY UNRELIABLE sync features and yet offer in the email setting... On top of that I could NOT find anyhelp anywhere... I sincerely hope Gmail or RIM dedicated some time to fix it.. *sigh*

My Gmail Contact Sync did not go perfectly either, however What I have found is.

After the you enable, give it about 10 - 15 minutes to sync with Gmail, this duplicate your contacts more then once...

Once you noticed your contacts stop duplicating log into gmail, check your contacts and merge all you duplicates. Then give it a few hours to sync back up and then your issue should be resolved, That is what I did.

once I got past that initial hurdle the contact sync has been fine and perfect. In some cases new contacts on the BB have been added to Gmail instantly.

SteveO86, thanks man. but it was not the case for me. I have given more than 10 - 15 minutes to sync with Gmail. When then contacts stop duplicating, I did log into gmail and merge all of the duplicates, but the problem remain :-(

what worse is this:

Databases that are unvailable in the list have been configured for wireless sync or wireless backup and are read-only.

I could not restore andy contacts (or clear them) from the previous back up data... on top of that I could NOT using search function on my contacts from my BB - you know when you press "s" from home screen.. (the shortcut that you activate when you turn off "dial from home screen"). It is NO longer available.. (messages, calendar, memopad are available BUT contacts..)

After merginig everything in GMail the sync back to the BB should have taken a few hours... 4 tops.. Although mine took maybe 2 and half... With this process patience is key.. And things will be fubared for a little while before it gets better.

The reason you can not restore you contacts is because a few reasons..

1. Contact Sync is still enabled in BIS.
2. Wireless Sync is still enabled in the Contacts -> Options
3. The EMail[SYNC] Service book is still present on your device.

I would... Disable the wireless sync in BIS, delete the Email[SYNC] service book, then resend your service books.. Then clear your contact database via desktop manager and then restore the contacts.

Then try again when you can set aside a few hours for your contacts to be in limbo.

SteveO86,

Somehow my sync contacts was RECHECKED in BIS. Besides a bunch of duplicates, combining them in Google and waiting, Google is showing mismatched addresses for contacts. One contact will have another contact's mailing address, etc.

Has this happened to you? :(

When I first enabled the Contact Sync months ago (when I was using the 9550, I did notice that). After that incident, I delete the contacts I knew wrong in GMail and then restore the contacts on my BlackBerry from a backup, bringing me back before the incident happened.

Now we flash forward a some time,and I reactivate the Contact Sync with my 9650, and other then multiple duplicates and a few hours of displaced contacts, my sync got squared away correctly.

I was hoping RIM had fixed the bugs in the Contact but it does not appears I was very lucky when I turned on my contact the second time.