Getting data into 4S from a different smart phone or Windows Outlook?

Question

I didn't think it would be this hard. I was using a Windows mobile 6.5 smart phone syncing to Outlook in Bootcamp (or Parallels) on my MacBookPro.  I assumed that I would be able to transfer all my pda data over. I went to the Apple store yesterday & talked to a set up person who only seemed to know about transferring contacts. Duh, this is a smart phone, not just a cell phone so there is a lot more in it than contacts.
So then I went to Genius bar where I was tended to by the head Genius. I had run a conversion on the calendar to mac compatible. So he imported that. But it seems to have lost all the exceptions to my recurring events--like a weekly event that isn't happening this week & next because of the holidays is still showing up. & not only that, its in twice.
I guess that may have happened when I ran the conversion program as it said something about exceptions that I didn't understand.
But now I'm thinking that, wait a minute, it says the iPhone can sync with Windows & Outlook. So now I"m thinking that maybe we should have set it up to sync with Outlook to get the calendar info in, & maybe the contacts as well.
As it is, it looks like I will have to go in & re-enter the calendar exceptions that I had carefully previously entered.
I'm wondering if I could just delete the calendar info in iCal and/or iPhone & go back & sync to Outlook, & then change it back to sync to the Mac side.
I have an Apple One to One on the iPhone this afternoon, but I want to use that to learn how to work the thing. Frustration right now in that I don't know how to do all the things that I knew so well on the old phone. So I want to learn how to use the basic functions I've already been used to useing, calendar, etc as well as getting used to typing on it. Not doing real well on that yet, lol. & I want to learn how to use Siri & reminders right away before a planned trip next week.
So any suggestions appreciated. Don't know if it would have been different in transferring data if I went to a Verizon store. & I also need to get my email set up. That I may be able to do myself since I've done it a few times on my old phone & different computers.

Answer 1

OK, this confirmed somewhat, what I had realized overnight--after the Apple store did things the hard way. I didn't follow exactly what they were doing, but I asked for help with setup. & I told them that I had my data in OutlookWindows, which I thought I told them was in Bootcamp on my Mac.
But it seems that the one who did setup had a device that Verizon uses & which apparently is what they use when moving info from an old cell phone to a new one. & So he just brought over the contacts. In the process, the photos associated with them were lost. I'm not sure, maybe he asked me what I wanted to bring over, I'm not real sure, but I remember I mentioned I needed my contacts & my calendar but he seemed unsure how to get the calendar in.
Of course I had made the mistake of thinking that I needed to do it the way that I had gotten the earlier contacts in--but that was before I had the iPhone that could sync with the Mac so I had converted the data.  So I wasn't thinking straight & it appears that neither were they.
I mean it seems that they were doing it like what Verizon used to do when switching from one cell phone to another--ones that didn't have pda type functions.
I mean, duh, when one is switching from one smart phone to another, it kind of seems a given that we want all our stuff brought over to the new device, especially when it can be done by syncing it over.
What I finally did today was that after my One to One appointment, I got back to back Genius bar appointments (after reading this solution that confirmed what I had been thinking--which was after I came out of the Verizon store where they got my email set up so I could see this notice) & asked if we could delete the messed up calendar & instead sync it in from Outlook.
So he did it by givng me step by step instructions. (below) & then he created a new calendar. Then he deleted the original one--this on my macbookpro--& then renamed the one Home.
These are the step by step instructions he gave me.
1. Download iTunes to Windows from iTunes.com, (I did this in Parallels which uses bootcamp running Win 7 as a virtual machine)
2. Open iTunes & plug in iPhone
3. click on left side on my phone
4. click on info tab at top--where personal info is
5. click sync all contacts
6. scroll to bottom under advanced (this was because I was only syncing calendars since the rest had already been brought over). So then I clicked on sync calendars
7. Hit apply button on bottom right.
then click on phone icon in iTunes to eject phone
Then do the same things on the Mac side except not using advanced, just a regular sync of calendar.
One other frustrating thing in all this is that I had an apple id, but had to change that to set up iCloud since it required an email address. So changed my ID, but same password. But then when iTunes wanted me to register or register my device, it said my password was invalid. They have slightly different rules for the password. Would have been nice if they were uniform so I don't have to change things twice!
I did it & it worked so now, I do have 2 calendars on my iPhone, but I guess I can delete one of them later.
But this brought the calendar events over the way I had entered them with the exceptions to the recurring events. That is the weekly events that don't happen some weeks due to holidays or other reasons. Those exceptions were recognized so those events that are not happening this week, properly now do not show up in my calendar. So I don't have to go back & re-enter the exceptions.
But I'm really disappointed that the Apple Store personnel who as part of the iPhone One to One training lists syncing with Outlok, didn't seem to even think of that as the best way to get pda data from Windows was not to pull it from the old phone, but instead to first sync the iPhone with Windows.  Not sure what they tell those just using Windows computers.