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Disappearing Outlook Calendar Events

M

mdkrebs11

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 14, 2008
47
0
This has been happening since day one and I have no idea why or how to fix it. I use Outlook 2003 on a XP machine and sync my iPhone directly with iTunes. My office has Exchange 2000 and the 3G doesn't seemt to connect to it (or at least I haven't figured it out yet). I tried out the MobileMe trial to see if I could at least sync calendar and contacts but I understand you need a paid version to sync those items. Considering all that has been written about MobileMe, I'm holding off on paying anything for that service. I did try to sync MobileMe several times before figuring out that only the paid service works. So MobileMe is running on my computer but I have disabled the Automatic or Manual sync features.

For the past 3 days, as calendar events pass, they disappear out of my Outlook Calendar. No idea why? This never happened before I bought the iPhone and started syncing so it has to be related. Is there an option somewhere in iTunes that you can choose to remove calendar items when they are past? That makes no sense. What's even more confusing, I read in another post that someone was having a similar problem but they observed that the calendar items still appeared in the Outlook Today summary page. I found the exact same thing. So the events are still in there somewhere and they show up on the summary page for the day but they no longer show up in the Day, Week, Month view in Outlook. Does anyone have any clue why this is happening and, hopefully, have a solution? I'm thinking it must have something to do with MobileMe because I have sync'd my iPod touch for the last year with this computer through iTunes and a calendar event never disappeared. MobileMe seems to be the only new variable. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!
 
There is a bug - specific Entourage/MobileMe - possibly Outlook too

I know there is a bug between Entourage and MM; possibly it's the same problem as you're seeing, as the symptoms are the same. Apple is working on it with MS. I wouldn't expect a solution for a few days. I've spoken with someone at Apple (source of my information). I've stopped syncing between Entourage/ical/AddressBook and .mac. However, I haven't succeeded in getting my data back on MM, even though it is in ical and Address Book. (The data - like yours) were there - and then weren't then were then weren't - and finally vanished and I haven't been able to get them back on again.

Backup all your data regularly - just in case.
 
I'm having the exact same issues with calendar events disappearing as they occur. Really frustrating! I'm checking every day for a software update in iTunes but nothing yet. Please post here if you find any way to fix it.
 
mdkrebs11 said:
This has been happening since day one and I have no idea why or how to fix it. I use Outlook 2003 on a XP machine and sync my iPhone directly with iTunes. My office has Exchange 2000 and the 3G doesn't seemt to connect to it (or at least I haven't figured it out yet). I tried out the MobileMe trial to see if I could at least sync calendar and contacts but I understand you need a paid version to sync those items. Considering all that has been written about MobileMe, I'm holding off on paying anything for that service. I did try to sync MobileMe several times before figuring out that only the paid service works. So MobileMe is running on my computer but I have disabled the Automatic or Manual sync features.

For the past 3 days, as calendar events pass, they disappear out of my Outlook Calendar. No idea why? This never happened before I bought the iPhone and started syncing so it has to be related. Is there an option somewhere in iTunes that you can choose to remove calendar items when they are past? That makes no sense. What's even more confusing, I read in another post that someone was having a similar problem but they observed that the calendar items still appeared in the Outlook Today summary page. I found the exact same thing. So the events are still in there somewhere and they show up on the summary page for the day but they no longer show up in the Day, Week, Month view in Outlook. Does anyone have any clue why this is happening and, hopefully, have a solution? I'm thinking it must have something to do with MobileMe because I have sync'd my iPod touch for the last year with this computer through iTunes and a calendar event never disappeared. MobileMe seems to be the only new variable. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

The Exchange support in the iPhone is very good, and I have had no problems with it. But, you need activesync which is part of exchange 2003+. 2000 is 8 years old, your IT folks need to upgrade for more reasons than just your iPhone...

Sitting at my desk, email hits my iPhone litterly the same time (sometimes a second before) I see it in outlook. I can move emails into folders on my iPhone and under a second later see it move in outlook. As I read emails in outllook I can watch the unread email badge decrement on the iphone. Calendars and contacts stay in sync just as fast. It really works the way MM should work but doesn't.

Get you IT folks to upgrade.
 
This is a problem in and out of the Exchange environment. Lots of people are having appointments disappear in Outlook 2003 and 2007. THey still are there but hidden. If you go to an "All Appointments" view they still are there. No word from Apple on a fix.
 
Disappearing Events

Yes, exactly the same problem here.

Events when last updated by the iPhone disappear in Outlook. They are still there, they sync, but the views do not show them. iTunes sync must pull across something that Exchange does not recognise.

Incredibly frustrating. Very disappointed in :apple:Apple, this feels like it was never tested.:mad:

I have the simplest set up. Standalone Outlook using a pst for calendar. Outlook 2007.

Nothing to do with the version of Exchange in use... good guess, but very wrong.

A.
 
Cludgy Workaround

OK, now I've vented and feel better :D ...

A workaround for those like me (or rather my wife who I bought the phone for, and yes I am an Apple fan with a Mac myself)

So the problem is that Outlook views do not recognise the entry and display it, although they are still there.

My suggestion to my wife... who uses her calendar a lot, is to always add a code to the subject (such as "ZZ") whenever she updates an entry on iPhone. Then, when she syncs via iTunes, she goes into Outlook and uses the quicksearch feature to find all the entries with ZZ in them. She opens each one and deletes the ZZ. This then forces the next version to be synced from Outlook.

Cludgy, but it seems to work.

Good luck, and lets hope Apple get this fixed asap. Or else I will remain in the dog house :)

A.
 
I am having the same behavior. It is possibly an issue with how Outlook and iCal formats appointments, possibly how it codes repeat/recurrence. There is a thread on the Apple discussions board about the same issue.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1607813

For me the problem is one directional:
Outlook -> MobileMe -> iCal (Works Fine, No issues)
iCal -> MobileMe -> Outlook (Appointments disappear from day/week/month view, but visible in a list view like "active appointments')

This is a workaround I got to work:
1) Add new appointment in iCal
2) Choose "Repeat" -> "Every Day"
3) Choose "End" -> "After 1 Time"
NOTE: If I choose "End on" and picked a date (same as start date), the appointment would show up in Outlook with one repeat on the day after the start date. But choosing "End After 1 Time" gave no repeats.
4) Open outlook and you will see the appointment with the recurrence symbol (two arrow circle).

If you can live with the appointment behaving somewhat like a recurring appointment in outlook, you should be alright.

Not sure if this will work for iPhone as well, but it has worked for me with adding new appointments in iCal on my Macbook.
 
Interesting thread, but I have the same disappearing appts but I do not sync with outlook and do not use MobileMe. The problem just started. I haven't synced with iTunes in about 6 weeks. So I am suspecting an iPhone problem or iPhone software problem. Hope apple develops a fix soon because my calendar directly affects my income.
 
It's 2013, and my Ipad is still having the same issue

I was playing with entering calendar events on my iPad mini, thinking I could live happily with it for that application, when all of the events before *& after* the day I was editing disappeared.
I use stand-alone Outlook 2013, no Exchange involved. If Apple wants to be taken seriously for productivity, why can't they solve this long-standing glitch? Until that's resolved, the iPad mini won't be the useful tool I was hoping, and I'm thinking about returning it.
:(
 
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