Software Black Hole?

I don't understand why no backup would be saved. If I understand correctly, option 1 offers you the opportunity to backup (not the opportunity to restore from an existing backup).

Anyway, if you cannot save a backup, and you want to upgrade, I suggest taking your iPhone to a nearby Apple Store. They should have everything you need there.

Prior to iOS 5 a computer was essential to backing up an iPhone. If you never synced it with a computer you can still back it up to the computer you update with, then restore that backup. Normally the phone is backed up automatically when you start the update process. Did this not happen?

By the way, since you have nothing saved, why would you object to setting it up as a new iPhone (option 2)?

Would you mind losing your existing iPhone's content?

I'm very confused. Why would you want to "right click and select a backup" when in your original post you said "I don't currently own a computer that my iPhone is synched to"?

I assume therefore there is no backup that exists anywhere that you care about retrieiving!

Oh, OK, I'm starting to understand a bit better.

If you could get to a fresh copy of iTunes (without someone else's Apple ID and stuff getting in your way), you might be able to back up your iPhone, upgrade iOS, then restore your iPhone by doing a manual backup in iTunes. But please note this in not worth doing on someone else's machine that is using iTunes, because of Apple ID ownership confusion that will result.

If you have a fresh iTunes copy on a computer, you might try a manual backup as follows:

Back up or restore your device

1. Connect your iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad to the computer you normally sync with and select your device.
2. Click Summary.
3. Do one of the following:
   • Back up or restore from a backup manually: Click Back Up Now or Restore Backup.
   • Restore your device’s files and settingsClick Restore.If your backup is encrypted, iTunes asks you to enter the password before restoring your files and settings. Encrypted backups have a lock icon in the list of backups in iTunes Devices preferences.
   • Encrypt your backupsSelect "Encrypt Device backup," type a password, and click Set Password.
4. Click Back Up Now or Restore Backup (below Backups).

You could try doing this backup before allowing the "Welcome to New iPhone" to proceed. I've never tried this ... I'm not sure the process is interruptable.

I wonder if she has her Apple ID associated with her iTunes ... you can check that by opening her iTunes, going to the iTunes Store, and noticing if her Apple ID appears near the top left. If it does, I would worry that she might sync over-the-air and have purchases, books, music, apps, etc. that would get in your way and confuse things.

How about this as an alternate solution: If you're on a Mac, log on as a guest user. If you're on a PC, I'm not quite sure how to do the equivalent, but somehow create a new username/password, download iTunes if you need to, and do the backup from there.

Trust me, the hassle that you would encounter if you inappropriately shared your friend's iTunes would be much worse than the savings you would get by saving your contacts and photos.

Agree with sberman.

Even make a new user account.

Install iTunes.

Open iTunes go to iTunes Store and sign in with your Apple ID.

Authorize computer with your Apple ID. Go to iTunes menu>Store>Authorize This Computer.

Plug your iPhone and try to right click on it and select "Transfer Purchases". Then right click again and select "Back up".

Then Update.

If you don't want to use this computer again remember to "De-Authorize This Computer", sign out from iTunes Store and delete the User account. (If you created one).

So you plugged it in and were not afforded the opportunity to do a manual backup?

What exactly happened when you plugged the iPhone into iTunes?

Ah, but this time, since you say you're given the two options, and one of the options is backup, maybe the backup will in fact be saved 🙂

Wouldn't that be exactly what you want?