Help Contacts disappeared - cannot add google account back

[cdl]

I have a UK Motorola Milestone running Android 2.1-update 1.
Yesterday all my contacts and my google accounts, to which they were synchronised, disappeared. Just like that, out of the blue.

I tried to add the google account again, but I keep getting a "can't establish reliable data connection" error. It is not a network access issue because internet and email (imap, not gmail) work fine, plus I tried with two different SIMs and with Wi-Fi, but to no avail.

Any thoughts how I could fix this?

I read about people deleting some files from their rooted Android and/or hard resetting their phones, but these fixes don't seem to always work and I'd rather try something else first.

I must say that, even though I like Android, I am getting very annoyed at how unreliable and buggy it has proven compared to my iphone and blackberry. Is it too much to ask to have a phone that doesn't reboot every other minute and that doesn't delete your contacts?

 

[Szadzik]

I have nevr seen anything lilke that, but I have a fix that will work, requires root though.
Delete the folder:
/data/data/com.android.providers.settings and restart (before and after) and you can
use the wizard again.

 

[cdl]

I have nevr seen anything lilke that, but I have a fix that will work, requires root though.
Delete the folder:
/data/data/com.android.providers.settings and restart (before and after) and you can
use the wizard again.

Pretty bad bug, I must say. How is this even possible? Iphones and Blackberrys have many drawbacks but I never experienced anything even remotely similar with those devices. It's like saying you have to blow up your car if the engine doesn't start

Anyway, would you agree this is a good guide to rooting?
http://androidforums.com/milestone-all-things-root/75460-milestone-2-1-update-root-guide.html

Also, the guide says that flashing a non-service SBF will wipe the phone. Is my UK Milestone a non-service SBF, since it's not locked to any network?

Thanks a lot!

 

[cdl]

I have a UK Motorola Milestone running Android 2.1-update 1.
Yesterday all my contacts and my google accounts, to which they were synchronised, disappeared. Just like that, out of the blue.

I tried to add the google account again, but I keep getting a "can't establish reliable data connection" error. It is not a network access issue because internet and email (imap, not gmail) work fine, plus I tried with two different SIMs and with Wi-Fi, but to no avail.

I found a fix. It works, but I have no clue why!
I created a youtube account and associated it to the google account which stores my contact. I use a google account for contacts and calendar, but not for email as I have a non-gmail imap mailbox.

I logged in the youtube app on my Milestone using the gmail email address.
Went back to account settings... and the google account was there, so I managed to sync contacts and calendar back.

The main question remains: why on Earth?

I guess this goes back to the main problem with technology: rather than coming out with 3 new but buggy versions every year, full of 'new' features of questionable use, they should make 1 version every 2 years, which just WORKS....