iTunes thinks I have a different phone after PC system restore

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iTunes thinks I have a different phone after PC system restore

I reinstalled windows 7 (SP1) in my computer and restored my iTunes music folder from back up as well as my AppData folder (ie C:users\"me"\appdata\roaming\apple computer and "me"\appdata\local\apple). When I plug in my iPhone the Pc thinks it is a new iPhone and when it attempts to sync it says that it will delete everything on my phone.

Do you know how to let the PC know that the iPhone is not a new phone and force it to sync as if it was ok - is there another file I should have recovered from my backup. If this is not possible what is the best way of ensuring that I do not lose all my apps and iTunes purchases.

Thanks

Dell, Windows 7

Posted on Mar 27, 2011 2:32 PM

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Answer 1

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Allan Sampson

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123,677 points

Mar 27, 2011 2:43 PM in response to broooz

All iTunes content on your iPhone - all music, movies, tv shows, and 3rd party apps should be in your iTunes library on your computer. If you backed up your iTunes library per the instructions included with this link and you have re-authorzed your computer with your iTunes account with iTunes, no iTunes content on your iPhone should be erased with the first sync with iTunes after reinstalling Windows.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751

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Answer 2

broooz Author

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Mar 28, 2011 1:38 PM in response to Allan Sampson

Thank you. I did not have "Copy files to iTunes media folder when adding to library" set in preferences. Could this be the problem?

Also when I go into iTunes itself there are no apps shown although I have bought all my apps through iTunes? TV programmes and music all seem to be there but not apps. Apps do show up as having been purchased in my account though.

Any suggestions appreciated please.

Thanks

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Answer 3

Mar 28, 2011 1:47 PM in response to broooz

You're welcome.

That selection has nothing to do with apps. That selection involves when adding music and video to iTunes not purchased from the iTunes store.

3rd party apps are stored in a Mobile Applications named folder which is located in the iTunes named folder - your iTunes media folder. If you backed up your iTunes library per the instructions included with the link provided and restored your iTunes library from such a backup, it would be restored 100% identical to your iTunes library as of the time the iTunes named folder was backed up.

If there are no apps available in your iTunes library when selecting Apps under Library in the iTunes source list, your apps were not in your iTunes library when it was backed up - if you copied the iTunes named folder, or the Mobile Applications folder located in your iTunes folder has not been transferred from your backup.

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Answer 4

broooz Author

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Mar 28, 2011 3:17 PM in response to Allan Sampson

Thank you very much - that helped find where my apps were. For some reason, the mobile applications folder had disappeared when I did my restore but I was able to recover it from the backup that I had created only just before. No idea why that happened but I guess it is something to do with windows 7 file locations and another forum for that perhaps. Once I copied the mobile folder across from my backup it all worked but goodness knows what else I lost.

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