transferring sync from pc to mac

OK. I will try that. Since I would lose the photos, I was afraid I'd be losing app data, too.

iCloud backup is limited to 5GB, though, right? -- unless you pay for extra space.

I also should maybe have mentioned that while I don't have music purchased in iTunes, I do have music uploaded from my PC, but I can manage that the same way as photos: reuploading the files, if necessary. Same with videos taken on a separate camera and processed for inclusion on the iPad.

Interestingly, now that I've started the sync, it's going to use more space than before I started the sync. I suppose this is because iTunes, in its infinite wisdom, chose a photos directory with a ton of photos in it. I'd rather it have started with an empty folder. Oh, well. I can fix that later.

Thanks. I wonder why I didn't find that article in a search. Reading it, I realize I want to keep my notes. I hope they don't get lost during the current sync. I had set up notes to sync on iCloud, but I think that didn't happen because you have to turn backup to iCloud on. When I tried that, I got a message stating that nothing would sync to the computer any longer, so I canceled.

If by "over the air" you mean using the cell phone network, I cannot, since I don't have an active cellular account.

I was aware of that. I'm just surprised that it chose as a default a directory that already had 4656 photos in it. I'd rather have started with one specific to the iPad, as I did with the Windows 7 machine. I guess Apple figured I'd want all my photos, and that I stored them all where they think I should store them. That's fine. I can change that.

OK. I have completed the sync. So I clicked on the tab to update my iPad to 6.0.1, and I still get the message:

"There are purchased items on the iPad "my ipad's name" that

have not been transferred to your iTunes library. You

should transfer these items to your iTunes library before

updating this iPad. Are you sure you want to continue?

Cancel Continue (I'm selecting Cancel again)

How can I find out what item(s) the message is referring to?

EDIT:

OK. I think this is what's going on, and this is exactly the dilemma I started out with. In iTunes on my Mac, if I click on the my iPad on the left, I get a bunch of items along the top. Only the Photos item is checked. Info*, Apps*, Music, Movies, TV Shows, Itunes U*, and Books* are unchecked. The ones with an asterisk contain something.

Thanks for the link. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. At the point where it asks me to authorize the computer, I can't authorize it because it's already authorized. That means it also doesn't sync, so the part where I'm not supposed to panic doesn't apply to me because the apps have not synced, as described in that document.

Is there a way to unauthorize this computer and reauthorize it to get a fresh sync? Note that only pictures have been synced to my Mac since it was authorized. Everything else was synced to the computer I'm trying to wean off of.

Trevor says,

"

Hey guys, former iOS advisor here. Your guide works, and it looks a great way to transfer all of your content from your iOS device to your new computer when you don’t have access to the original computer but it is way easy to just pull the data right off of your old computer.

The tricky part is really just making sure everything is stored properly (everything in your iTunes folder) on your original computer. To do this go to File > Library > Organize Library. You should have an option to “Organize Library,” and “Reorganize files in the folder ‘iTunes Media.’” Check both (the reorganize option might be greyed out, if so just ignore it) and click OK. Let iTunes do it’s thing and when it is all finished up just copy your entire iTunes folder over to the new computer with your method of choice (i.e. external hard drive, direct network connection).

Replace any old iTunes folder your computer may have created with the new one. After it finishes copying, hold down the option key when you open up iTunes. You can specify which iTunes library you want to use and you can choose your newly transfered library. iTunes will open up with absolutely everything (including play counts, and playlists).

Next time you hook up your iOS device it will recognize it as the same iTunes library. At most it will ask you to reauthorize your purchased content for this computer, but it will start syncing just like it did on your old computer, no questions asked and no need to take the risky step of “replacing apps and their data.”

One thing this does not transfer is contacts and calendars. Go to your info tab under your device, check everything you want to sync to your computer (DO NOT check anything under advanced!!!!) and you should be good to go. It also doesn’t transfer photos so be sure to grab your iPhoto Library from the original computer as well."

Will this work when going from a Windows 7 iTunes folder to a Macbook Pro iTunes folder?