[m021478]

I have never once been able to get my computers to sync properly using .Mac...EVER!

I brushed it aside while using Tiger and just kinda forgot about it (in the back of my mind though, always wishing I could do it) and then with the release of Leopard, I tried again to see if I could pull it off and get it to work...NO LUCK!!

I have read all the forum posts and how-to articles out on the subject, only to be disappointed when I tried to implement strategies used by other on my own setup...

It should be as simple as this, if I am not mistaken:

- Unregister all Macs currently registered with 'The Truth'...(if given the option to erase unused data on .Mac, choose to do so. As an added measure to ensure that 'The Truth has no extra data laying around, open iSync from the applications folder and then from its 'Preferences' menu, choose to 'Reset Sync History'...

- Setup one computer as the 'Master' computer with all of the primary data you want synced...

- Upon re-registering that computer in the .Mac system preference pane, and upon being presented with the option to have either 1) .Mac overwrite your computer; 2) have your computer overwrite .Mac, 3) or merge data between the two; - you would choose to have your 'Master' computer overwrite .Mac

- Easy enough...after the first successful complete sync of the Master computer to .Mac, then go to the secondary computer you want synced and re-register it in the .Mac System Preference pane and upon being presented with the above options, this time choose to have .Mac overwrite your computer

- Done! That should be it...right? - WROONNGG!!!

-Not once have I ever gotten this to work! I am in dire need of support with this, as I have now made it my personal mission to get this working properly (simply because of the fact that my ego can't take it that this is simply not an issue for hundreds and thousands of newbies out there, and yet its an issue for me!)...

When I say I've not gotten it to work, what I mean is that after a very short amount if time after running through the steps above, one of my computers or the other reports that "XX number of items will be added; XX Number will be modified; XX number will be deleted" - and you can go ahead and fill in the XX with a number in the triple digits - usually...

I did have one thought that I was hoping some of you could possibly weigh in on and give me your take...

One possible reason why I have been unable to sync successfully, perhaps, might have something to do with the fact that on all three of my Macs that I am trying to sync, I am using the exact same Account User Name and shortname (i.e. Home Folder name)

Might this have something to do with my problem...its my last possibility I can come up with...but I would be glad to hear any thoughts that any of you might be willing to share...

out of curiosity...when I am presented with the XX number Modified/Added/Deleted dialog, is there an option I should choose universally on all Macs being synced, such that this message might not re-appear again after a while if I stick to that same choice on all my machines...When it says "200 Contacts deleted; 4 Added; 20 Modified" and I get that message on the machine that was initially setup as my Master computer with all of the updated info on it...I've always been reluctant to choose 'Proceed' and have usually chosen to 'Cancel' the sync at that point (and then I scurry away with my tail between my legs...broken ego and all

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated... Thanks!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...I'M BEGGING SOMEONE OUT THERE TO COME TO MY RESCUE ON THIS ONE!!

Thanks again, and I look forward to your responses!

[Todd Madson]

So what you're saying, effectively, is that you want a second computer to be a direct mirror of
the first computer using this with iSync and .Mac to accomplish it?

If that's what you are trying to do, that isn't the best tool for the job and I'm not sure it would
work that way either.

I'd recommend Superduper for that purpose, if that indeed is what you're trying to do.

[m021478]

Originally Posted by Todd Madson 

So what you're saying, effectively, is that you want a second computer to be a direct mirror of
the first computer using this with iSync and .Mac to accomplish it?

If that's what you are trying to do, that isn't the best tool for the job and I'm not sure it would
work that way either.

I'd recommend SuperDuper for that purpose, if that indeed is what you're trying to do.

Actually, that's not what I was hoping to accomplish...what I had stated above was meant to run through the steps of the initial sync, and then after that initial sync was complete and I had the same data mirrored exactly between two (or more) computer, then I would proceed with using each computer independently, knowing that .Mac would effectively sync any changes made to one machine so that they would be reflected on the other...

Essentially, I was hoping to achieve the bi-directional sync that .Mac is supposed to provide...not unidirectional sync...I do use SuperDuper and I also use ChronoSync, but I wanted a solution that would effectively provide 'push' syncing capabilities without needing to be triggered, and without needing to be on the same network, or in any other way networked directly to one another...

Any thoughts?

[Art Vandelay]

Works perfectly for me and always has. I sync back and forth all the time. When I've reinstalled a Mac, I simply tell it to replace all local data with .Mac data and it's good to go again. I have no idea why it doesn't work for you.

[Cadaver]

I'm not sure I can be of any support, either. I have several Macs and they all seems to sync to .Mac just fine. My main machine (a Mac Pro), my laptop (MBP), my account on my wife's MacBook and my account on my daughter's 12" PowerBook (though I haven't synced that one in eons) all sync appropriately. And not just one-way. I make a change in a calendar on my laptop, it'll get sent through .mac, and appropriately synced to my iPhone when I plug it in to my desktop. Works as advertised.

But, try this... make sure all the data on .Mac is good (follow your first couple of steps again). Make sure you delete all other machines from the .Mac registry. Then, on your other Mac, DISCONNECT it from the internet. Pull the ethernet, turn off Airport, whatever. Then delete all mail accounts, address book entries, calendar files, keychains, bookmarks, etc. Clear out everything you plan to sync. Even better, make a whole, new, fresh user account on the secondary machine if you can. Then, reconnect to the internet, choose what items to sync in the .Mac system preference pane, and do a sync.

If it doesn't work, then something is FUBAR'd with one (or more) of your user accounts on one (or more) of your Macs. Or something is corrupted on Apple's .mac server under your account. You can request Apple's .mac support reset your account to blank (though you will lose anything/everything you've published previously, iDisk contents, IMAP mail, etc).

And for whatever its worth, I don't sync keychains from one machine to another. I've had to change passwords on one machine that didn't get synced before I tried to use it on another machine and overwrote my change. Everything else seems to work, though.

Don't forget the golden rule before proceeding - back everything important up before you sync something potentially corrupt and screw up everything.

[m021478]

Can Someone Please Please Please Help Me Out With This???

[jbleisure]

One possible reason why I have been unable to sync successfully, perhaps, might have something to do with the fact that on all three of my Macs that I am trying to sync, I am using the exact same Account User Name and shortname (i.e. Home Folder name)

Might this have something to do with my problem...its my last possibility I can come up with...but I would be glad to hear any thoughts that any of you might be willing to share...

Have you tried changing these details so they are unique for each computer?

I'd try that first.