I can't restore Contacts from Time Machine

[Tino1948]

Hi there.

This morning, opening my MacBook Pro, I found out that my Contacts is empty (??????).

I went to the net to find a solution but no one of the solutions works, no even the one that seems to be the most popular and the one that I did know before going to find out.

I mean, open Time Machine from the menu bar, chose a date, open Applications, click on Contacts and click Restore. I did and a notice comes up saying: “Contacts” can’t be modified or deleted because it’s required by OS X.

So, how can I restore Contacts if not from the Time Machine? What is the Time Machine for then?

Thank you.

 

[chscag]

Since I'm not there looking over your shoulder, the only thing I can surmise from your post is that you're trying to restore the "Contacts" application which is not what you want to do. The system is telling you that the "Contacts" application can not be deleted and therefore should not have to be restored. What you really want to do is restore the contacts, not the application.

This is what you want to restore: Macintosh HD/Users/your user name/Library/Application Support/AddressBook

Note that your user library is hidden and will have to be made visible first before you will be able to even "see" the AddressBook folder from Time Machine.

 

[Tino1948]

Ta chscag.

**** it!!! How can I be so stupid?? Of course, an application can not be modified (well, no just like that) and less deleted when is part of the system. For the same token one can’t deleted IE from Windows.

Right; that was one of the advises I did find in the net and doesn’t work just because the opening menus are not the same than they said and not the same that you said.

After my name there is not such a thing as Library; the menu that opens after Macintosh>User>my name> is: Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Movies, Music, Pictures, Public, Sites and Wallpaper.

I did manage to go to Library in other way but there is not Applications Support or Address Book anywhere.

 

[nickyr]

Hi Tino

To get to your library folder, in Finder click on Go in the menu bar and then from the drop down menu click on goto folder. A box will appear. In that box type ~/library.

Application Support should be the third folder down, and Address Book the first folder in Application Support.

 

[Tino1948]

Ta nickyr.

As I said I did manage to go into Library in other way and, yes, there are Applications Support (sorry chscag, my mistake) but there is not such a thing like Address Book anywhere.

I can read from other websites that the name Address Book is old fashion and now could show up as Contacts but Contacts doesn't appear either after Application Support.

By the way, "I know nothing, I am from Barcelona".

 

[Rod]

Just hang on a bit there. Tino1948, just what are you looking at when you open contacts?
Does your contacts look like mine below?

 

[Tino1948]

Hi Rod Sprague.

No at all; it looks like this:

 

[IWT]

"I know nothing, I am from Barcelona"

Hi Manuel; sorry Tino!

I think you are looking at the wrong Applications Support. I think!

Just try this if you don't mind. Click on and open Finder. From the top Menu Bar, click on Go whilst holding down the alt/option key. Keep your finger on that key and click on "Library" which will probably be one below Home. When you've done that, you will see Application Support (about 5 down). Click on that. Address Book should show (about 3 down).

(I just want to make sure that you are looking at the same Applications Support, for there is more one.)

Ian

 

[Tino1948]

Hi IWT.

"Hi Manuel; sorry Tino!" - HA, HA, HA!!! I love it... I am starting to look to this Forum in different way...

Yes, did work. And now which is the next step, which one is suppose to open and how to recover my cards from it?

Tino

 

[chscag]

@Tino:

You're going to need to restore the entire "Address Book" folder as I indicated in my first reply to you. The Address Book folder lists the contacts in data base format - just restore the entire folder over the old one and you should have your contacts back.

 

[IWT]

Chscag:

Please don't think I'm being awkward or intrusive; but I think that Tino may need guided advice on how to use Time Machine (sorry Tino if I'm wrong).

Before touching Time Machine — using the method I described, get to the Window showing - Application Support > Address Book.

Now click on the Time Machine icon on the top Menu bar and then click on "Enter Time Machine". Time Machine should open in the same window ie showing Application Support > Address Book.

Now go back in time to a date when you are certain your contacts were all there.

Now, Click on Address Book and the click on Restore (bottom right of screen).

It will say something like: do you want to replace or keep both. Choose replace.

In effect you have gone back to Address Book when it was working and replaced the faulty version with the previous, working version.

Anything not clear, just ask. In fact don't do anything unless you are comfortable with these instructions and it is going as I described.

Ian

(no offence chscag)

 

[Tino1948]

Hi Ian.

"Tino may need guided advice on how to use Time Machine" - Absolutely right. I have no a clue how to use Time Machine (What do you expect from a Galician? You can't ask pears to an elm..)

Yes!!! Did work! Thank you so much to every one.

Slàinte!

 

[chscag]

@Tino:

Thanks for hanging in and folowing directions and thanks to Ian for his detailed instructions. And thanks for being so diligent in keeping up with your Time Machine backups.

 

[nickyr]

T
By the way, "I know nothing, I am from Barcelona".

superb

 

[metwou]

Time Machine restorations

I need to restore contacts for a friend and the directions for getting into Time Machine from the Application Support > Address Book were great. I tested it on my Time Machine, but I noticed the "Restore" option would highlight?? Am I missing a step? I am in the middle of a backup?? Could that be the reason?

 

[Rod]

The answer to that question is yes.

 

[mengel1]

Still can't click restore

I've followed all the instructions above to first open the address book in application support. Then I open time machine. Once time machine is open, I can't go back in time or click restore. What am I missing? Time Machine is turned on. All my time machine backups are on an external hard drive.
Thanks!
Jennifer

 

[chscag]

Hi Jennifer, and welcome to our forums.

I just tested this and it worked for me.

1. Make sure your Time Machine external drive is attached. Do not enter Time Machine yet.

2. Navigate your way by using the Finder to your Address Book folder which is found under your user library, application support. Do not open the Address Book folder, just highlight it. (I'm assuming you know how to unhide your user library.)

3. Now enter Time Machine. You will see overlapping Time Machine backups that look like your Finder. Select one of those backups that you wish to restore from.

4. After selecting the backup, again navigate your way to your address book folder. Highlight it and select "restore". Time Machine should then give you a choice of where you want to restore it to. Select original location.

5. That should be all there is to it - provided you have a good backup it should work.

Let us know.

 

[mengel1]

That's what I did, but when time machine opened, I couldn't navigate within it. I couldn't use the arrows or go between various backups.

Before realizing that I needed to restore the library address book, tried the applications contacts multiple times. I usually had the same thing happen. Then once it worked and allowed me to navigate and restore. I can't figure out what I did differently

 

[MacInWin]

@mengel1, a couple of thoughts:

1. IF your TM backups are on a networked drive, it can take a while for TM to "build" the views of the older backups. Follow the directions from chscag, but on step 3, give it a while after the "Enter Time Machine" step for the older backups to appear. There is some referencing that TM has to do to get the older backups built up from the data. How the files are stored on a network drive is different from a locally attached (USB/Firewire/etc) drive and the building of that history can be slow.
2. If your TM Backup drive is directly attached, it can still be a while for historical backups to be built up and display, particularly if your system has a long history of TM backups. Remember, it has to go back to the ORIGINAL backup, then work forward with changes from that point all the way to today. That rebuilding can take a while when there are lots of backups in the queue.