Microsoft Sync Services

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

Hi Corentin so I got up the courage to try all module sync and it was
just like Jan 24 08 again. The reason I tried, is that months back in
the DB I noticed all day items dup'd. So since I had to fix this I
thought maybe I'll see if there's any difference. The first thing I
noticed is that when I added an address to Entourage, it sync'd but
then the new address was the only one that was in Addressbook. I
didn't go any farther as this was one of original weird behaviors. I
did everything you suggested. I couldn't do the extreme thing you
mentioned as you were afraid others might pick up on it. Maybe I'll
shoot off yet another email to Microsoft.

I made some additional tests as well with MobileMe.
I reset Mobile Me synching (unregister all Mac, delete all server data,
re-register first Mac, sync, re-register second Mac deleting all
computer data and replacing with MobileMe data, sync).
It was hell!!! I got notifications of hundreds of modifications at the
second sync, lost some keychain entries...

The problem with all that is that synching remains buggy on both sides
of the aisle. I suspect MS still has some issues (and your problem
illustrates it) and Apple still does too :-@

Corentin

 

[Kerry]

I made some additional tests as well with MobileMe.
I reset Mobile Me synching (unregister all Mac, delete all server data,
re-register first Mac, sync, re-register second Mac deleting all
computer data and replacing with MobileMe data, sync).
It was hell!!! I got notifications of hundreds of modifications at the
second sync, lost some keychain entries...

The problem with all that is that synching remains buggy on both sides
of the aisle. I suspect MS still has some issues (and your problem
illustrates it) and Apple still does too :-@

Corentin
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Right on. I don't might much working in one module at a time. It’s
just a hassle. Why I got those dups of all day events might have had
something to do with testing two or more modules at the same time.
When I do this, but I really don't unless there might be some
possibility its still working, oddly enough all day events in the
calendar about 3 months back to the beginning of calendar dup.
Fortunately, since I categorize everything I just find non categorized
items, delete Entourage calendar in iCal and let the combine method in
Entourage rebuild the Entourage cal in iCal. Generally, everything
works flawlessly as long as I don't enable too modules at the same
time. Over on the Markspace forum, numerous people are doing this now.
One guy wrote me the other day to thank me for this tip as he was
spending hours, like I was in the beginning, trying to make it work.

I'd go nuts with what you described happened to me but I don't use
mobileme. I really was never getting my value out of .Mac as I just
wasn't using enough of their services and the backup program had a
terrible time restoring the Entourage DB. So after 4 years of having
it, I've gone to other services and I'm way happier.

I just don't understand how Microsoft can't deal with this issue. I
was corresponding, finally, with a manager who went directly to BU and
they said they knew of the problem but weren't sure when it will be
fixed. Its been 8 months now and I don't see any progress. I always
check in with tech support on my original Jan 24 08 case # and they
have no answers. The scary thing is many of them often say if it will
ever be fixed. My understanding from Markspace is it has something to
do with Entourage's data architecture and when you enable more than
one module it causes conflicts and thus the mess. They identified it
to Microsoft way back when but have still heard nothing. They though
it was fixable but were concerned, as they have a good working
relationship with MS, as to why they were hearing nothing and still
have heard nothing.

Anyway, they kept telling me to work the with the workaround I
accidentally discovered as they discovered this at about the same time
in their labs. So that's about as much as we know. All vague.

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

Hi Kerry,

Right on. I don't might much working in one module at a time. It's
just a hassle. Why I got those dups of all day events might have had
something to do with testing two or more modules at the same time.

I used to get these duplications even with iCal and Entourage alone. I
don't know if it's Entourage or iCal though. It could be a bad support
for all-day events in iCal that generates the duplication.

[...]

I'd go nuts with what you described happened to me but I don't use
mobileme.

Well that's why I make *frequent* backups :->

I really was never getting my value out of .Mac as I just
wasn't using enough of their services and the backup program had a
terrible time restoring the Entourage DB. So after 4 years of having
it, I've gone to other services and I'm way happier.

MobileMe has some advantages. Synching between computers (when it works)
is great. I use the iDisk as well and even though I have personal
website(s) of my own, I use the Me.com page as well. It integrates well
with iWeb and that makes my life easier.

I just don't understand how Microsoft can't deal with this issue. I
was corresponding, finally, with a manager who went directly to BU and
they said they knew of the problem but weren't sure when it will be
fixed. Its been 8 months now and I don't see any progress. I always

The problem is that some issues are in MS hands, and others in Apple's.
I can understand that if it is an Apple issue, MS can't really say much
beside "it's a known issue and people are working on it" :-\
Some of the other issues might also not be trivial to fix.

check in with tech support on my original Jan 24 08 case # and they
have no answers. The scary thing is many of them often say if it will
ever be fixed. My understanding from Markspace is it has something to
do with Entourage's data architecture and when you enable more than
one module it causes conflicts and thus the mess. They identified it
to Microsoft way back when but have still heard nothing. They though
it was fixable but were concerned, as they have a good working
relationship with MS, as to why they were hearing nothing and still
have heard nothing.

Well I sure hope MS will release a patch correcting these issues :-(
You can be sure though that they are well aware that there are problems
with SyncService support and that it infuriates a good proportion of
their customers. I don't doubt that they are on the case, but I sure am
impatient myself to have it corrected on my own Mac as well,

Anyway, they kept telling me to work the with the workaround I
accidentally discovered as they discovered this at about the same time
in their labs. So that's about as much as we know. All vague.

:->


Corentin

 

[Kerry]

        Hi Kerry,

Right on. I don't might much working in one module at a time. It's
just a hassle. Why I got those dups of all day events might have had
something to do with testing two or more modules at the same time.

I used to get these duplications even with iCal and Entourage alone. I
don't know if it's Entourage or iCal though. It could be a bad support
for all-day events in iCal that generates the duplication.

[...]

I'd go nuts with what you described happened to me but I don't use
mobileme.

Well that's why I make *frequent* backups :->

I really was never getting my value out of .Mac as I just
wasn't using enough of their services and the backup program had a
terrible time restoring the Entourage DB. So after 4 years of having
it, I've gone to other services and I'm way happier.

MobileMe has some advantages. Synching between computers (when it works)
is great. I use the iDisk as well and even though I have personal
website(s) of my own, I use the Me.com page as well. It integrates well
with iWeb and that makes my life easier.

I just don't understand how Microsoft can't deal with this issue. I
was corresponding, finally, with a manager who went directly to BU and
they said they knew of the problem but weren't sure when it will be
fixed. Its been 8 months now and I don't see any progress. I always

The problem is that some issues are in MS hands, and others in Apple's.
I can understand that if it is an Apple issue, MS can't really say much
beside "it's a known issue and people are working on it" :-\
Some of the other issues might also not be trivial to fix.

check in with tech support on my original Jan 24 08 case # and they
have no answers. The scary thing is many of them often say if it will
ever be fixed. My understanding from Markspace is it has something to
do with Entourage's data architecture and when you enable more than
one module it causes conflicts and thus the mess. They identified it
to Microsoft way back when but have still heard nothing. They though
it was fixable but were concerned, as they have a good working
relationship with MS, as to why they were hearing nothing and still
have heard nothing.

Well I sure hope MS will release a patch correcting these issues :-(
You can be sure though that they are well aware that there are problems
with SyncService support  and that it infuriates a good proportion of
their customers. I don't doubt that they are on the case, but I sure am
impatient myself to have it corrected on my own Mac as well,

Anyway, they kept telling me to work the with the workaround I
accidentally discovered as they discovered this at about the same time
in their labs. So that's about as much as we know. All vague.

:->

Corentin

--
            --- Mac:MS MVP  http://www.cortig.net/wordpress/---
       http://www.mvps.org      -    http://mvp.support..microsoft.com
    MVPs are not MS employees    -    Les MVP ne travaillent pas pour MS
 Remove "NoSpam" to e-mail me    -      Retirez "NoSpam" pourm'écrire

True - I had to find an entry in my calendar way back in the past and
noticed dups in the calendar. However, I was testing all modules on
and that's when this might have occurred. I don't check the calendar
regularly for dups but since I've gone back to calendar on only, daily
I look back to Jan 1 07 and its fine. So I'll see. But the other thing
that happens with all modules on is it wipes out my addressbook
anytime I add a new entry and only the new entry shows. That was
happening when I opened my case Jan 24 -08 so no improvement there. I
still work w MS on this 8 month old case (can you believe 8 months
later and still no word/no real fix). None of this happens if I just
use iCal and Addressbook using Missing Sync but they are just not
powerful enough for me.