sync iphone to itune NOT itune to iphone

The phone allows for a one-way sync only. You can transfer purchases made from the phone to itunes, but the phone is designed to be managed through itunes, not the other way around.

Why did you do a fresh install on your MacBook - for what purpose?

Regardless the purpose, where is your computer's backup for all important data that should include your iTunes library and should have been updated before doing a fresh install on your MacBook?

Sounds like the only thing that was stupid in this situation is not having a backup or not including your iTunes library with your computer's backup.

So I have an Iphone full of all my apps pics and music. They are all safe there. But if I now want to sync my Iphone with my fresh install of Itunes I lose everything. That does not sound right. It sounds like very bad programming. There must be a way to get my Iphone data back into Itunes. I could do this 10 years ago with my sony phone and have always been able to do it with my nokias. This wonder of modern technology must be bi-directional. Or is that a mac thing.

The iPhone does not support disk mode which is likely for security reasons, and the iPhone is not designed or intended to be used as a backup storage device. The sync process for iTunes content and with photos transferred from your computer is a one way transfer process only. The sync process for contacts, calendar events, and Safari bookmarks with the supported applications on your computer is a bidirectional or true sync process. The other is a transfer process.

A fresh install of iTunes does not touch your iTunes library. Deleting iTunes does not touch your iTunes library. If you use Microsoft Word, if you delete Word from your computer your Word documents are not deleted with the app. The same applies with your iTunes library with iTunes, which is stored completely separate from the iTunes app. All iTunes does is access data that is stored elsewhere and completely separate from the app.

If you did a fresh install of Windoze, your iTunes library should have been included with your computer's backup along with all other important data on your computer's hard drive - documents, photos, etc. stored on an external drive or some other external media used for backup purposes only. Important regardless the platform but even more so with Windows due to constant virus, adware, and spyware concerns along with having to re-install Windows on a regular basis.

iTunes includes an option to transfer iTunes content that was purchased/downloaded from the iTunes store from an iPod or iPhone, but this is for iTunes content that was purchased/downloaded from the iTunes store only. If your iTunes library is no longer available and not included with your computer's backup, with your iPhone connected and without syncing at the iTunes menu bar go to File and select Transfer Purchases From - the name of your iPhone.

Ok thanks for the indepth confirmation that all my data has to be deleted. Please dont take offence I like macs but hate the Iphone always have and this really does take me to the edge. Security is not and issue if a virus was set to hit the phone just make an angry bird clone and dump the code in there. Boom say goodnight. I have back ups of all my data on NAS but why backup data that is already backed up. It was on my comp and on my phone. So I ditched the pc version as I knew I wont be losing my phone within the time it takes to format and rebuild. So now I'm stuck. Unless I break the Apple laws and JB the phone. Just doest make sense. Thanks for the input and the info.

I don't take any offense - the iPhone is not designed or intended for everyone. I've used Windows at work which is why my personal money has never been spent on that garbage and never will. I would go without a personal computer first.

If you hate it, why are you continuing to use it? I hate Winblows - not a chance I would use that garbage for personal use - only when I've been forced to at work.

Security is not and issue if a virus was set to hit the phone just make an angry bird clone and dump the code in there. Boom say goodnight.

Absolute hogwash. How would someone be able to install an Angry Bird clone app on their iPhone - from where? With a hacked iPhone which allows for installing unofficial software from unknown and untrusted sources, which is not possible with an iPhone that has not been hacked/jailbroken. And the iPhone makes use of sandboxing with all apps.

http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/Security/Conceptual/Securi tyOverview/Concepts/Concepts.html%23//appleref/doc/uid/TP30000976-CH203-TPXREF102

+In iOS, each application is put in a sandbox that restricts the application to using only its own files and preferences, and limits the system resources to which the application has access.+

I have back ups of all my data on NAS but why backup data that is already backed up.

The iPhone is not designed or intended to be used as a backup storage device. Only an idiot would carry around their computer's backup everywhere they go, which can be lost or stolen.

Unless I break the Apple laws and JB the phone. Just doest make sense.

Copied from my previous post.

+iTunes includes an option to transfer iTunes content that was purchased/downloaded from the iTunes store from an iPod or iPhone, but this is for iTunes content that was purchased/downloaded from the iTunes store only. If your iTunes library is no longer available and not included with your computer's backup, with your iPhone connected and without syncing at the iTunes menu bar go to File and select Transfer Purchases From - the name of your iPhone.+

If all your computer's data is backed up on NAS, then you should have nothing to worry about. The iPhone is not designed or intended to be a backup storage device.

Hey demonseed, this probably comes way too late, but hopefully it will help some others, rather than just bashing Windows and squawking about how great Apple is.

First, with pictures, Windows computers recognise iPhones as cameras -- simply double-click on the iPhone, and there are your pictures. Copy them to a folder on your computer (which cost half the price for the exact same components), and they're safe from the sync-of-doom.

More generally, there are hundreds of excellent freeware programs that will allow you to browse your iPhone file system, and with a little bit of research, you can choose which one you like best, and get to pulling whatever you like off you iPhone, whenever you please, like saved game data, browser cache, pdf files and ebooks downloaded into various apps, etc. The one I use is iPhone Explorer, which you can get at:

http://www.macroplant.com/iphoneexplorer/

but like I said, there are tons, so pick your favorite.

Also, I know this is mildly off topic, but as far as jailbreaking goes, it's not as scary as you'd think, and the benefits are pretty outstanding. Sure, there are annoyances, like not always being able to update your OS the day the new one comes out, and the MINIMAL risk that you'll brick your phone -- which, by the way, doesn't kill your phone forever, it just means you have to restore it from your most recent sync (dear god, no!!) -- I've been jailbroken on my trusty old 3G for over two years now, updating firmwares all along the way, and never bricked. So why do it? Well, for one thing, I can swipe my finger across the status bar, and bring up a set of toggles that instantly turn on and off 3G, bluetooth, airplane mode, and more. I can download movies and pdfs and text files from safari. I've been able to put my apps in folders and multitask for two years. I can scan my immediate area for wifi signals with a more sensitive scanner than the wifi settings bit, using a more intuitive and informative GUI than the one provided with my phone. Do I love my iPhone? Sure. But if Apple's going to tell me it has to look a certain way, and handicap the OS so that I can't use the full functionality of the hardware I paid for, well, they can eat a bag of d*cks. </tangent-rant>