Undo "revert from old iphone" done to new iphone w/different data?

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Level 1

97 points

Undo "revert from old iphone" done to new iphone w/different data?

I'm worried that I've just wiped a year from my life. This will sound complicated and crazy but I ask for your patience and understanding, oh wise ones of the Discussion Community!

I had the original iPhone for many years which I last connected to my computer in July, 2010. Then my life fell apart: divorce, move across several states, etc. As a salve to my wounds, I treated myself to the iPhone 4 in February, 2011. The problem (which seemed insurmountable at the time) was that I didn't want all the old contacts and photos from my old life automatically put on my new iPhone. So I just avoided the issuse for a year and built a new life into my new iPhone.

Desperate for the new updates, I connected my newer iPhone 4 yesterday and selected "Revert" thinking there may be more windows of opportunity for a selective revert or at least a warning before it would actually commence to wipe actual data. It then immediately proceeded to revert. I had a year's worth of new phone numbers, photos, texts, etc. replaced with the very junk I didn't want before. Horrified I quit iTunes in the middle of the process, ripped the cord from the computer, but all to no avail. Everything is gone, even my recent call log, texts, and precious photos!

1. Am I screwed or is there any way to find all this info and get it back either onto my computer or my iphone 4?

2. If not, I have used data recovery services for hard drives in the past, is there a way for a professional to do the same to my iphone or has everything been overwritten? I've used programs like PodUtil to access files on ipods and move them elsewhere. Is there a program that can look at a "root" level for any remnants of the old data?

3. Is there a way to wipe the phone again and start over fresh but still keep the record of the old iphone's life? I don't want to wipe that old record from the computer because occasionally I need something like a phone number but don't want it in my everyday life. I still have the old iPhone and pull it out for reference when needed and use it as an ipod player on occasion. I want to preserve its back up.

4. Can't someone have several devices without them all having to be in sync with each other? This idea that I want to access all data all the time is just not for me and has kept me from getting desperately needed updates because Apple seems to believe this. To me they are like hard drives, you should be able to hook them when you need them and get ONLY what you need. I have decades of electronic info, photos, a whole life really but I store the memories, not access them on a daily basis. I love using my old iphone in this manner. My ipad is used for even different things and I don't want ALL my iPhone stuff cluttering it up. My computer should be able to be the master drive that keeps backups of each device without throwing them all together in a blender!

Thank you in advance for your time and help!

PowerBook, Mac OS X (10.5.8), 1.67 GHz PPC G4, 2GB Ram, 120GB HD

Posted on Jan 18, 2012 9:25 AM

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Answer 1

KiltedTim

Level 10

225,864 points

Jan 18, 2012 9:39 AM in response to CyberFinch

CyberFinch wrote:

1. Am I screwed or is there any way to find all this info and get it back either onto my computer or my iphone 4?

More than likely, the data is gone. If you had never plugged it into your computer before and answered the prompt to restore it from a backup, it simply over-wrote the data with the last backup that was made on that machine. I do not believe it attempts to back up the existing device as it's assuming it is new, and a replacement for the old one.

2. If not, I have used data recovery services for hard drives in the past, is there a way for a professional to do the same to my iphone or has everything been overwritten? I've used programs like PodUtil to access files on ipods and move them elsewhere. Is there a program that can look at a "root" level for any remnants of the old data?

No. There is no data to recover. Anything that was on the phone previously is gone.

3. Is there a way to wipe the phone again and start over fresh but still keep the record of the old iphone's life? I don't want to wipe that old record from the computer because occasionally I need something like a phone number but don't want it in my everyday life. I still have the old iPhone and pull it out for reference when needed and use it as an ipod player on occasion. I want to preserve its back up.

You can wipe the phone and start over by going to Settings>General>Resets>Erase all Content and Settings. If you need to keep a record of the contacts, I strongly suggest you actually sync them from the old phone to an address book rather than just relying on an old backup of it. Make sure there is at least one entry in your address book before you attempt to set up the sync.

4. Can't someone have several devices without them all having to be in sync with each other? This idea that I want to access all data all the time is just not for me and has kept me from getting desperately needed updates because Apple seems to believe this. To me they are like hard drives, you should be able to hook them when you need them and get ONLY what you need. I have decades of electronic info, photos, a whole life really but I store the memories, not access them on a daily basis. I love using my old iphone in this manner. My ipad is used for even different things and I don't want ALL my iPhone stuff cluttering it up. My computer should be able to be the master drive that keeps backups of each device without throwing them all together in a blender!

You can select whatever you want to sync to each device. Take a look at the options in iTunes with the device connected.

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Answer 2

CyberFinch Author

Level 1

97 points

Jan 22, 2012 11:00 AM in response to KiltedTim

Thank you, KiltedTim!

I'm not a Apple newbie by any means but not an expert on the inner workings of iPhone and the ever-expanding reach of iTunes. I held a small hope that those with more experience might have some trick access to a hidden folder, especially since I did not allow iTunes to proceed with the entire sync. It had only begun to copy the old phone's previous records before I ripped the cord.

If any others have thoughts, especially since the sync was not complete (and possibly, data not overwritten yet?), I welcome them. Otherwise, time to look forward, right? Happy new year!

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Answer 3

CyberFinch Author

Level 1

97 points

Jan 22, 2012 11:19 AM in response to KiltedTim

Wait a minute!!!

I'm double-checking elsewhere on the web regarding loss of photos and have just discovered that many of them are in my TRASH CAN!!!

So to others here who may have done what I have done, check your trash can for mistakenly deleted files and photos. And be sure to always set your trash can to NEVER empty automatically, only manually (a trick I luckily learned years before OSX). Always do it by hand and double-check what's in there beforehand you hit "Empty".

Will post more if I discover additional info. Thanks again, KiltedTim for your time and share of knowledge.

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