AddressBook 4.0.6 Data Deleted in OSX

[xerxes32]

AddressBook 4.0.6 Data Deleted in OSX 10.4.11

I was making some changes and deletions to addresses in AddressBook when the application seemed to freeze. I turned off the computer and restarted. The only address remaining was my own. I have a lot of important notes and information in this file. I spent some time on the phone with an Apple expert, who wanted an elusive "meta" file, but we did not get anywhere. Any suggestions regarding what to try?

More details are below.

I have tried a few things and have succeeded in further confusing myself.
I went into the User Library/Application Support/Addressbook
and found these files:
ABPerson.skIndexInverted 8k
AddressBook.data 36k
AddressBook.data.previous 20k
And an images folder
I switched the names of .data and ,data.previous around a couple of times. Not a solution.

In one of my rescued folders, there is a promising file:

ABPerson.skIndexInverted - 2.1 MB
[Note-I tried overwriting the smaller file by this name in the active folder, but that has not worked.]

There is another file:

AddressBook3.data - 28 kb

And a third:

ABSubscribedPerson.skIndexInverted - 8 kb

Then there is an images folder with a couple of documents.

Thanks in advance for suggestions.

 

[Giaguara]

Do you have a backup?

After using all my US phone numbers of any AddressBook card (over a hundred) once thanks to some bug in an early early version of AddressBook, I have for years made a backup before any major sync, addition or deletion etc.
(File > Export > AddressBook archive)

Those files are too small to be a full database, unless you have only 2-3 cards in it.
My AddressBook.data is 1.6 MB, AddressBook.Data.Previous 1.7 MB...

And do you have a backup at .mac/me if you don't have a local one?

Always have a backup of the addressbook - especially when the contents are priceless.