Where is the iPhone backup file stored which is produced during synching?

Thanks for the clarifications re the backup file and what it does NOT contain.

Yes, the entire iTunes folder (incl. the Mobile Applications folder) is in my time machine. Should I restore this to the new HD and expect the iPhone Apps (and their settings!!!!) to "reappear" in iTunes?

I think that I have found a way to get the apps back, but not the settings, which are much more work-intensive than reloading the apps.

Would appreciate any advice.
Thanks and cheers,
Veit

Great advice and I will try it out, although I fear that it may not work, since the apps were already deleted on my first try: see my posting in this forum http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2131367 to which you already contributed substantially.

As I said there, I thought that I had "authorized" the transfer of the apps on the iPhone to iTunes, but to my horror saw that each app was deleted. And I assume that the personalized settings for each app are stored on the iPhone, not on the iTunes folder on the MacBook!? Is this right?

And that begs the question I asked earlier: IF there is a backup of the iPhone made during synchronization, why isn't there a "restore from previous backup file" function, or is there?

In any case, I'll do the Restore from Time Machine and will report back.

These seem to be two possible ways to get back to my apps AND their settings. I'll try the restore the iTunes folder through Time Machine first; if this does not work, the Reset and Restore version second.

Can you please be more specific as to the right sequence of steps in your last para, as to "don't sync beforehand ...". Do I first need to authorize or de-authorize the computer?

Many thanks in advance.
Veit

In your 3rd paragraph you say: "Do not sync your iPhone again with iTunes ..." ??? Sorry, but I am not sure I understand this and its implications. After restoring the iTunes folder with Time Machine, and after having authorized the computer, don't I need to sync in order to get the apps and their settings into the iPhone?

Sorry if I miss an important point!
Cheers,
Veit (greetings from Austria to the Lone Star State)

"See ya" tomorrow, off to bed now, as we already have Saturday.

Message was edited by: vburger

Allan, I am puzzled and hope that you can help and clarify:

I did try the "Restore the iPhone to its Factory Settings" approach and did transfer the iTunes folder (from before the crash) through Time Machine to the new HD. When I connect the iPhone to the computer and start iTunes there, I am informed that an iphone has previously synced with this computer and am asked whether I want to set up a new iPhone or "Restore from the backup of iPhone". BUT, the Last Synched info states that the last sync was TODAY, and NOT as of before the crash (when the Apps and their Settings were OK, i.e. to what I would like to restore). Frustration galore.

This begs the question: 1.) where on the computer is the last backup stored, and can that be replaced by using an earlier version found on the Time Machine? But then I think I understand you saying that the backup process of the iPhone does NOT contain the Settings and Data related with each third party application, only the app itself; or did I misunderstand you.

Hence question 2.) Where are the data and settings of the apps stored: in the Backup that's created when syncing (and apparently only a single, i.e. the last backup is kept, and that in my case is useless), or in the Mobile Applications folder under iTunes, which can be restored.

And finally 3.) you state: cancel the backup when you connect the iphone to the computer running iTunes. When I click on the x next to where it says that the iPhone is being backed up, it cancels the whole sync process, not only the backup process.

Sorry to bother you so much, but I'd really hate to loose all the data and settings of the ninety or so Apps which I am using. Again, many thanks in advance for any clarifications.
Cheers,
Veit

I am using vers. 3.0.1 on the iPhone and iTunes 8.2.1 on a PowerBook G4 (i.e. NOT Intel based)

I think that it all boils down to this essential question:

Once I mistakenly have allowed the third-party Apps to be removed from the iPhone (i.e. having forgotten to first click on iTunes>File> Transfer purchases from iPhone), and thus having created an essentially "empty" Backup file) is there ANY way to retrieve the apps TOGETHER with their respective settings and data?

If not, that would be a glaring drawback.
Love to get people's reactions.

cheers,
Veit

Many thanks, Allan, I got the iPhone to work again WITH the settings and data of the 3rd party apps.

I did find a Time Machine backup of JUL09 in the iPhone Backup file (in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/),
restored it through Time Machine
then Restored the iPhone in iTunes to its original setting
closed and reopened iTunes
connected the iPhone: it asked me if I wanted to restore from a previous backup
I confirmed and chose the Backup of the date that I had restored with time machine
That took a while
To my horror, after the restore, there were no 3rd party apps on the iPhone
went back to Applications on the left of iTunes, clicked on the Update of Apps (or some such words)
it updated all of the apps
then synced them to the iPhone and
Presto, the iphone was in the state of JUL09.

Muchos gracias for all your advice and patience.
Cheers,
Veit

P.S. Here is the URL to the Apple note on making backups of the iPhone: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1766?viewlocale=en_US

To answer this question:

Yes, iTunes only makes a single copy of the backupfile, which gets overwritten the next time. Hence, once this backup is wrong or corrupted you are ABSOLUTELY out of luck, unless you have another way (like Time Machine) to get back to a previous version of this backup file. In my view a glaring shortcoming.

Here is a fairly detailed and useful description of the Backup process:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1766?viewlocale=en_US