How do I restore specific items from backup?

modular747 wrote:

First, contacts are not contained in the iPhone backup - they are synced the the appropriate app on your computer or cloud which you had to set up in iTunes. Text messages and Camera Roll photos are in the backup.

Not true - i don't sync my contacts with another service; they are restored from backup when needed. You can sync them with a service, like Outlook, Google etc, but most people do not know how to do this, so they just use the iPhone backup.

Why do persist in stating that contacts are not included in the iPhone backup? This is totally false information. You need to read that support article you referenced:

iTunes will backup the following information:

"Contacts* and Contact Favorites (regularly sync contacts to a computer or cloud service such as MobileMe to back them up)."

First, contacts are not contained in the iPhone backup - they are synced with the the appropriate app on your computer or cloud which you had to set up in iTunes. Text messages and Camera Roll photos are in the backup.

There is no way to selectively restore items in your backup - as already explained it's all or none. This will explain in detail iPhone backups:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1766

In your situation, you can try these steps to fix your reception problem. Otherwise you'll have to live with restoring as new.

1. Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings

2. Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings.

bbfc wrote:

Not true - i don't sync my contacts with another service; they are restored from backup

Not so according to the support article I linked, and the numerous posts here from people who lost their contacts due to NOT syncing:

"Contacts* and Contact Favorites (regularly sync contacts to a computer or cloud service such as MobileMe to back them up)."

bbfc wrote:

Not true - i don't sync my contacts with another service; they are restored from backup when needed. You can sync them with a service, like Outlook, Google etc, but most people do not know how to do this, so they just use the iPhone backup.

I'm not sure about "most people", unless most people don't read the manual, which gives very clear step-by-step instructions on how to sync contacts (and calendar) to either the cloud or a computer application. Or they skip the manual and look at the screen, which has a checkbox and dropdown to sync contacts to a computer application.

I can think of no reason to NOT sync contacts to an application or cloud service, as the iTunes backup is notoriously unreliable and is easily corrupted.

But you are correct that contacts are included in the backup.

You oddly quote the same sentence I did... I did read that article, and if you do, you'll find the following statement earlier:

"You can use a backup to transfer this information to a new device, except for some specific exceptions noted in parenthesis below."

Note the parentheses in the statement about contacts, as well as the asterisk.

Did you bother to scroll down:

"Your contacts are part of the backup"

I don't know how much clearer that can be...contacts have always been part of the iPhone backup, so please stop saying they are not...this is totally false.

Curiously, you omitted the rest of the sentence you quoted:

"* Your contacts are part of the backup to preserve recent calls and favorites lists. Back up your contacts to a supported personal information manager (PIM) or cloud-based service to avoid any potential contact data loss."

It's more than obvious that contacts data in the backup is incomplete and unreliable.

The restore from backup is all or none. You can see what's backed up here... http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1766

What specific things do you want back?

Look at this backup extractor. i haven't used it, but I would be tempted to try.

http://www.iphonebackupextractor.com/