Gmail: Sorry your groups could not be loaded (error 6)

**** UPDATE ****

The below solution worked for a few days and then I received the Error 6 again and lost all my Contacts. However, when opening Gmail in Google Chrome, all the Contacts options work! It is something IE8 specific. Checking on the Google forums, the only thing they suggest is to open Gmail in Google Chrome. However I believe that Google has an obligation to make sure that Gmail works on Microsoft IE8 as well and that this is not a real solution. Besides, I am not the only one who complains that the text on Chrome is unclear. Switching on the Windows  "ClearType" does improve matters but the text is still not as clear as IE8.

SECOND UPDATE - *** FOUND SOLUTION ***

SOLUTION:

The problem is the Gmail Notifier in your taskbar.

It's so simple.

1. Uninstall Gmail notifier from Add/Remove programs

2. Go into Gmail and check that Contacts now work.

3. Download latest version of Gmail Notifier and reinstall.

For two months now, I've been getting an error when trying to load my Gmail Contacts list. The page says that it cannot load my contacts and returns the error

"Sorry, your groups could not be loaded (error 6)"

When in Compose Mail mode, clicking on "To:" returns a popup window and a client error.

I did a Google on the error and indeed there are thousands of complaints about this. Apparently, Google "updated" their Gmail Contacts tool which has caused this problem with many existing users. Unfortunately, their only suggestion is to click a button at the bottom of the Gmail page entitled "Older Contacts Manager" in order to get their old Contacts list. This doesn't solve the Compose Mail "To:" button problem and is hardly an elegant solution.

I have been waiting for Google to sort this out but the forums have not been updated. They seem to have left us in the lurch.

So, I decided to try and find a solution myself and am glad to say that I've found one.

Solution:

Note: You will need Microsoft Excel installed on your computer.

1. Click on "older contact manager"

2. Use the Export button on the top right hand side and choose Export option to write a CSV file for Outlook. Save the file to your My Documents folder.

VERY IMPORTANT! Open your "My Documents" and just check that the csv file exists.

3. Still in "older contact manager", select all your contacts and delete them all.

4.  Now delete all your your manually created Groups. (Note that Family, Friends and Coleagues cannot be deleted).

You should now be left with a totally empty Contacts list.

5. Exit Gmail (Very important to do this!)

6. Open the saved csv file in Excel and scroll across until you find the Groups column.

7. Click on the column header of the Groups column to select the whole column and right click and Delete the whole column.

8. Click on the Priority column to select the whole column and Delete this whole column as well.

9. Save the file as NewContacts.csv

10. Log into Gmail again and click on Contacts.

This time you should not get an error!

Click on "More Actions" and then "Import..."

Browse to your NewContacts.csv file (that you previously edited and saved) and open.

The contacts in the file should then be imported into your Gmail Contacts.

You now have a clean new Gmail Contacts list.

You'll have to reorder them into Gmail's groups or create new ones.

One strange thing that has occurred subsequently.

The new Contacts page occasionaly freezes. (Not all the time).

However, when I now try and click on More Actions and any of the options such as "Import", Internet Explorer 8 consistently freezes!

Doing a Google on this problem returns another Gmail Forum which says that teh problem is known and that they are working on it. The post was dated back in August!

BTW, all Gmail options works fine in Google Chrome Browser. Hmmmm....surprise surprise...