# Address Book creates 24,000+ No Name contacts



## mannoman (Apr 10, 2007)

First, because the Address Book content is so large it will not open. However I can access Contacts via iCloud. I spent days deleting all 24,892 No Name (empty) Contacts, only to have them reappear the next day. Anyone have a clue what is causing this?


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## estelala (Nov 15, 2011)

is your icloud set to automatically sync on your computer?


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## mannoman (Apr 10, 2007)

Yes, but this started long before iCloud syncing was even possible. In the early going Address Book would open and I would tediously delete the blank NoName contacts. If I tried to delete more than 100 at a time, AB would crash. I only managed to completely clean it one time. I closed AB and when it reopened they all there again. My actual AB contacts total approx. 95 so that makes 24,902 blank files.

I have no idea what is triggering this but it began about the the same time I upgraded to OSX Lion.

I tried to delete the AB and start over but that is not allowed because it is part of Lion.

I am at a loss.


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

You need to delete the database, not the program. I'd also delete the preference for AB while at it. But I don't know where Lion keeps either now.


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## mannoman (Apr 10, 2007)

Is the database the same as metadata?


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## mannoman (Apr 10, 2007)

I now have 158,000+ items in the metafile folder. I assume they are the blank files in question. I highlighted the files and end them to the task...well, that was the plan. After 14 hours of 'deleting', my system came to a virtual halt. By then about 50,000 files were deleted. I stopped the stalled process (cpu was heating up) and got back to it about 2-3 hours later and tried again. Lo and behold i now had 158,000+ files. It's like the the tech version of the loaves and fishes. It's a miracle, I tell ya. Actually more of a nightmare.

What little I have found on this problem appears to link it back to Apple's servers but without specifics. It's a mess.


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

Well, you need to turn off iCloud syncing, remove move everything from iCloud, clean up your local files, then try it again. I have read that this helps some people.


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## mannoman (Apr 10, 2007)

Thanks for the response but, the biggest problem is Address Book will not open. The second problem is if I go to iCloud.com I can see all the blank contacts but after I highlight them and attempt to move them to the TRASH, the process takes forever. After 15 hours only 50,000 contacts were deleted, the cpu temp rose and the process came to a halt. So I Shut Down. Waited an hour. rebooted, opened iCloud and the contacts database was back to 158,000+. FYI it's a 2008 MBPro with 4GB ram and a new (3 mo. old) MLB. These problems appeared around the same time I downloaded Lion. Not sure if any of that has any value/impact but I thought I should mention it.

I'll try it the way you suggested and will let you know how it goes. Thanks - much appreciated.


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

It is a problem with Lion, iCloud, and iPhones. It's rare, but it is documented online in different places. You might want to go to Apple's support forums and see if anyone has any ideas, or if any Apple techs can help. Otherwise you'll have to take it to an Apple store and let them try to fix it.


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## mannoman (Apr 10, 2007)

I took it to an Apple store and the Genius dude did a fine job. There appears to be (not confirmed by Apple or the genius) a potential incompatibility between iCloud and Mobile Me syncing that affects some users, but not all. My Address Book was corrupted and unusable (well over 158,000 NoName contacts). However, my basic contacts were intact on the iCloud server and did not contain any NoName contacts. Evan (genius) diagnosed the issue, reloaded Lion (with a blank Address Book) then synced it to my iCloud contacts. All is well. Thanks for your time Sinclair_TM.


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