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Sync iPhone to new computer - Questions for not loosing stuff

Hello,

I have a question and I hope you guys will be able to help me.
My GF doesn't have access to her old computer. However, I have a Mac Laptop that I never used to sync my own iPhone, so she will use this laptop to sync her iPhone.

To make sure she doesn't loose any music on her iPhone, I will use a 3rd Party software to make sure everything is saved (copy pasted).
For the contacts, I need to pray that iTunes sync won't delete everything. But this is not THAT bad... However if you guys have any tips I would appreciate.

For the apps I am not sure. I know I can "Transfer Purchase", which is cool. But I really need to make sure that she doesn't loose her progress in Smurf.

I would like some help from you guys to make sure what would be the correct step-by-step to make sure that no Application Data is lost.

Thank you for your help and I am available to any questions you guys have to help me solve this question.

(I have the latest iTunes and Mac OS installed)

iPhone 3GS, Mac OS X (10.6.7), MacBook

Posted on Apr 8, 2011 12:25 PM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Apr 8, 2011 2:01 PM

By design, the iphone will sync itunes content with one computer at a time. Any attempt to sync such content with a second computer will result in ALL itunes content being first erased from her phone & then replaced with the content from the second computer. This is a design feature and cannot be overridden. Because you are replacing your GF's computer, her phone will see this computer as a "new" computer. The itunes content sync is one way: computer to phone. If you have photos that were synced to her phone or music ripped on her own that were not backed up, you will first have to extract them from her phone using third party software, before you do anything else, as Apple makes no provision to do so:

http://www.wideanglesoftware.com/touchcopy/index.php

Once you've done that, do the following in the order specified:

1. Disable auto sync when an iPod/iPhone is connected under Preferences>Devices in itunes(under the edit menu if using Windows).
2. Make sure you have one contact & one event in the supported applications(Address Book, iCal) on your computer. These entries can be fake, doesn't matter, the important point is that these programs not be empty.
3. Connect her phone, iTunes running, do not sync at this point.
4. Store>Authorize this computer.
5. File>Transfer Purchases(To make sure all purchased content on her phone will be in her itunes library).
6. Right click in the device pane & select reset warnings.
7. Right click again and select backup.
8. Right click again & select restore from backup, select the backup you just made. When prompted to create another backup, decline.
9. This MUST be followed by a sync to restore her itunes content, which you select from the various tabs, You'll get a popup regarding her contacts & calendars asking to merge or replace, select merge.

You should be good to go.
27 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Apr 8, 2011 2:01 PM in response to etdashou

By design, the iphone will sync itunes content with one computer at a time. Any attempt to sync such content with a second computer will result in ALL itunes content being first erased from her phone & then replaced with the content from the second computer. This is a design feature and cannot be overridden. Because you are replacing your GF's computer, her phone will see this computer as a "new" computer. The itunes content sync is one way: computer to phone. If you have photos that were synced to her phone or music ripped on her own that were not backed up, you will first have to extract them from her phone using third party software, before you do anything else, as Apple makes no provision to do so:

http://www.wideanglesoftware.com/touchcopy/index.php

Once you've done that, do the following in the order specified:

1. Disable auto sync when an iPod/iPhone is connected under Preferences>Devices in itunes(under the edit menu if using Windows).
2. Make sure you have one contact & one event in the supported applications(Address Book, iCal) on your computer. These entries can be fake, doesn't matter, the important point is that these programs not be empty.
3. Connect her phone, iTunes running, do not sync at this point.
4. Store>Authorize this computer.
5. File>Transfer Purchases(To make sure all purchased content on her phone will be in her itunes library).
6. Right click in the device pane & select reset warnings.
7. Right click again and select backup.
8. Right click again & select restore from backup, select the backup you just made. When prompted to create another backup, decline.
9. This MUST be followed by a sync to restore her itunes content, which you select from the various tabs, You'll get a popup regarding her contacts & calendars asking to merge or replace, select merge.

You should be good to go.

Apr 9, 2011 8:51 AM in response to etdashou

Log-in in to your iTunes account on your new Mac and then sync as normal. You'll be asked if you want to copy stuff from your iPhone to Mac (which you probably want to do) and then you should be able to continue as normal. Remember to authorize your new Mac with your iTunes account as well.
Besides there is a step by step instruction on [how to transfer or backup iPhone contents to Mac|http://www.softwarebbs.com/wiki/How to_backup_iPhone_toMac].
Hope it can do you a favor.

Nov 2, 2011 9:30 AM in response to MacPaint

I had this same issue, new computer, old one died. I wondered the same thing. I spent the $35 for TouchCopy, made the backup from their tool. I followed your instructions but no where in your text do I see where to bring in the TouchCopy backup? I did the right click backup, right click restore from backup, but that defaults to the iPhone backup I just made, not the TouchCopy. So why did I buy this tool? iPhone seems to sync to new PC, but when I try to upgrade to 5.0 it says I'm trying to upgrade to another library and do I want to erase everything on my iPhone. Nope, sure don't. :-) I synced and iPhone looks like the iTunes app page, as I rearranged. Any help much appreciated. Thank you for this page. I was about to just wipe it clean, as I've been working on this for two weeks. Thank you.

Susan

Nov 3, 2011 6:29 AM in response to SusanVette

After reading your response AGAIN after you suggested that to another user, I find that the third party tool was for nonApple things like pictures and CD music. So, I didn't need to buy it, oh well. That'll teach me! :-)


Is there any help in trying to upgrade to OS5 (which this morning on the news said to wait, that there are issues about battery life with OS5, an upgrade to it in a few weeks. Anyway, I can sync just find. Apparently some how, it is either using the backup you had me make, then restore, or another version library. When I try to sync it says I'm already syncing to another library do I want to wipe the machine. How can I find ALL libraries now on this new computer so I sync to the proper one? Thanks again for this forum. Short of driving 60 miles to an Apple store, this will help greatly. Susan

Nov 9, 2011 4:00 PM in response to etdashou

Hi, I am trying to achieve a similar objective and am ok until part 8, I've done the backup, however I’m not being prompted to do another backup when its finished and when I attempt to do the sync in part 9 I'm still getting a message saying if I sync all the music on my iphone will be replaced with my iTunes library on my new computer which is blank? Hope this makes sense!

Dec 5, 2011 10:59 PM in response to llewey1

Hello all,


I have an iPhone 3GS and a new MacBook. I want to sync the existing iPhone to the new MacBook (running Leopard) for the first time: can I just query that I won't lose anything apart from *photos* and *music on the iPhone that is not on iTunes*?


Separately, what happens to all the Apps on the iPhone? Can I re-download them for free? Is this easy? And what about content that I've downloaded from iTunes on the iPhone and that has never been synced with iTunes on the new MacBook?


Many thanks.

Sync iPhone to new computer - Questions for not loosing stuff

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