How do I synch my iPhone to a new PC without losing anything.

Lost the HDD on my PC and had to reload on a new disk. I have an old backup of iTunes (not very recent) and would like to be able to synch my iPhone without losing contacts, play lists, etc. I can recreate the library from my laptop.
I think I have three options and am wondering which will get my iPhone synched without losing anything:
Recreate library from laptop and synch iPhone (I think this will lose the playlists and contacts.
Backup the iPhone, synch (will probably lose contacts and playlists here) than restore the iPhone from the backup. Will this put the contacts and playlists back?
Restore old iTunes DB from backup, synch phone. Will this copy contacts and play lists from the phone over to the PC so nothing gets lost?
Thanks,
Mike

Hello
This is my first time on a community notice board such as this
I'm stumped and hope someone can help
My iphone just wont back up on my PC - and I've tried deleting the old backup on the Edit/Preferences tab in iTunes - in fact there is no backup for this device listed there at all.
Without being able to backup, my iphone can't sync, so i can't get music onto it - which was one of the whole blessed points of the bloomin investment.
Can you help?
(Why am I so annoyed at this technology that does not work?)
Cheers
Andrew

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How do you sync an iphone to a new computer without losing ANYTHING?

I know this sort of topic has been discussed a bit and I have searched quite extensively but I would REALLY appreciate any of you gurus out there to give this a quick read. I don't like to thread hijack and I never got all my concerns addressed from reading other threads so I figured I would make my own.
Ok, so I have looked around this forum, called Apple support and have searched google but have not quite found all the answers I am looking for so I decided to just register and make a post.
I have an HP desktop and now I have an HP laptop that I wish to make the new "home" to my iphone4. I did a recent backup of all my apps, music, and photos to my desktop but I have never used any program to sync notes,email,calendar etc. as I don't use Outlook or any of the options they have on the dropdown boxes. My new laptop and my desktop are both on the same version of itunes and I have authorized my new laptop and logged in to my itunes account. Also, my phone is not jailbroken so everything on it is legit. I do remember reading something that purchases only transfer if you bought them through itunes via a computer? All my Apps and music purchases were done strictly through iphone4.
So here are my concerns with the first sync to the new laptop:
1)What happens with the Apps? Do they get removed and restored or do they just copy from the phone to itunes? I can't just restore from itunes as I have several apps that I really like that happen to be discontinued and no longer available through the app store. Also, what happens to the game saves and other data within all the appps? And if it is going to restore these apps, I can only imagine it would give me whatever the latest version of them is? I have many apps I refused to update due to developers either ruining them or downgrading what they offer. For example, Pandora. I still use the non multitasking version because it doesn't have those annoying voice commercials.
2) What am I to do about the notes, mail, contacts, texts, since I don't use the programs itunes offers to sync to? Should I sign up for MobileMe? Or would that just complicate things? I pretty much just use Hotmail.
3) Music. What happens to it? I only have a handful of cd's and maybe two albums I purchased via phone through itunes. If my music gets wiped I can always put the cd's back I am just worried about the two albums I bought through the phone using itunes.
4) Photos I backed up into a folder on the desktop so do I just copy that onto a flash drive and transfer it or will the photos just sync to the new laptop? They are all on the camera roll I don't have any other folders or albums on the phone.
Thanks so much to anyone out there who is willing to help me out as I did search before asking and only made this post as a last resort.
If it helps, old desktop uses Windows XP and new laptop uses Windows 7 64 bit.

Welcome to the discussions,
a manual backup should help to transfer your data and apps.
Disable autosync in itunes, connect your phone, right click on it in the device list and choose backup. iTunes will backup your phone without syncing and save data, pictures taken with the phone and settings to the new itunes library.
See what's included in this backup here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1766
After that, transfer your purchases the same way by choosing "transfer purchases", to copy all apps and bought media from the Store to your computer.
Set up at least one contact and event on your computer to be able the merge your calendars and contacts after your phone got wiped during the first sync.
The rest of the data can be restored again from the manual backup you made before.
Music is one way only, from the computer to your device, unless you bought the songs in itunes and transferred your purchases.
There is 3rd party software out there, but not supported by Apple, see this thread: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2013615&tstart=0
Restoring: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414
Apps can be downloaded again for free, in case you missed some: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519

How can I synch my ipod to a new computer without losing all my content, purchased and my old copied albums? My PC and backup died in the same week and now I am told I could lose all my content if I synch?

how can I synch my ipod to a new computer without losing all my content, purchased and my old copied albums?
My PC and backup died in the same week and now I am told I could lose all my content if I synch?
I have new purchases on my new laptop but too paranoid to synch the ipod incase I lose the thousands of tunes I copied over from my old collections.

See these 2 Links...
Syncing to a New Computer...
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141
Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991

My laptop died along with its harddrive, how can I sync my iphone to a new computer without losing everything?

Hi, my laptop died along with its harddrive, finding it difficult to figure out how can I sync my iphone to a new computer without losing everything on my phone (iPhone 3GS).
Any help appreciated
Thanks
C

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141

How do I sync my iPhone with a new computer without losing all of my data?

How do I sync my iPhone to a new computer without losing all of data?

See this user tip for the procedure: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141

How do I backup my iPhone to a new pc without losing photos and apps

How do I backup my iPhone to a new pc without losing photos and apps and ringtones?
My old pc is dead
I am not concerned about music
Help!!!!!
When my phone was plugged in to new pc it gave a message that said I would lose all info on phone to current clean iTunes.

Hello
This is my first time on a community notice board such as this
I'm stumped and hope someone can help
My iphone just wont back up on my PC - and I've tried deleting the old backup on the Edit/Preferences tab in iTunes - in fact there is no backup for this device listed there at all.
Without being able to backup, my iphone can't sync, so i can't get music onto it - which was one of the whole blessed points of the bloomin investment.
Can you help?
(Why am I so annoyed at this technology that does not work?)
Cheers
Andrew

How can I sync my Iphone to my new macbook without losing all my music on my Iphone music library if it's not from iTunes?

How can I sync my Iphone to my new mac book without losing all my music on my Iphone without losing all my music if the music isn't from Itunes?

If you do not have access to the iTunes Library on your Old computer... or its Backup...
See these 2 Links...
Syncing to a New Computer...
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141
Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
If you do have access... See Here...
From your OLD computer...
Copy your ENTIRE iTunes FOLDER to an External Drive... and then from the External Drive to your New Computer..
Full Details Here > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
More Info here...
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer

How do I sync an iphone to a new computer without losing the content

My wife's iphone was originally synced to my old mac. Now she wants me to add some music from a cd to her iphone and I can't figure out a way to do it without erasing what is already on there. How can I add the additional tracks to her phone without losing the rest of her content?

It has always been very basic to always maintain a backup copy of your computer.
Use your backup copy of your computer to put everything on the new one.
The iphone is not a backup/storage device. It simply mirrors the selected content of the computer to which it is synced. Syncing to anophter computer will erase the current content and replace with content from the new computer.

How can I sync my iphone to a new computer without losing music

I have heaps of music from my old work computer on my phone. I want to sync to my computer at home now. How can I do this without losing the music and other data???

To sync to a new computer without losing your data follow the steps outlined by Ingo2711 in this post: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3801263?tstart=0. However, as pointed out in this post, music not purchased from iTunes syncs only one way: computer --> phone. (Music purchased from iTunes can always be redownloaded for free (see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519). You will have to purchase 3rd party software in order to transfer non-purchased music from your phone to your computer, such as Touch Copy.

How do I sync my iPhone to a new computer without losing all my data?

I hooked up my iPhone to my new computer and was able to transfer songs etc to my iPhone with no problems, just clicked and dragged like normal. Suddenly it wont let me do so, wont let me drag a song or anything over to my device. I noticed that the "manually manage music and video" check box was unchecked, so I clicked it and got the prompt to restore my iPhone and delete all the data on it. Obviously I clicked cancel. I have read a few other discussions about this issue but am confused and need a dummies approach please as most people seem to be referring to certain things, for example they are worried about losing their applications, or just their music....I want to be able to sync my iPhone to my new computer, without ANYTHING changing. I dont want to lose any music, apps photos, contacts, purchases....anything....
Please help. Thank you!

By design, the iphone will sync itunes content with one computer at a time. Any attempt to sync such content with a second computer will result in ALL itunes content being first erased from her phone & then replaced with the content from the second computer. This is a design feature and cannot be overridden. Because you are replacing your computer, your phone will see this computer as a "new" computer. The itunes content sync is one way: computer to phone. If you have photos that were synced to your phone or music ripped on her own that were not backed up, you will first have to extract them from your phone using third party software, before you do anything else, as Apple makes no provision to do so:
http://www.wideanglesoftware.com/touchcopy/index.php
Once you've done that, do the following in the order specified:
1. Disable auto sync when an iPod/iPhone is connected under Preferences>Devices in itunes(under the edit menu if using Windows).
2. Make sure you have one contact & one event in the supported applications(Outlook, Windows Address Book) on your computer. These entries can be fake, doesn't matter, the important point is that these programs not be empty.
3. Connect her phone, iTunes running, do not sync at this point.
4. Store>Authorize this computer.
5. File>Transfer Purchases(To make sure all purchased content on your phone will be in your itunes library).
6. Right click in the device pane & select reset warnings.
7. Right click again and select backup.
8. Right click again & select restore from backup, select the backup you just made. When prompted to create another backup, decline.
9. This MUST be followed by a sync to restore your itunes content, which you select from the various tabs, You'll get a popup regarding her contacts & calendars asking to merge or replace, select merge.
You should be good to go.

My old computer that i have my iphone 4 synced and backed up to is no longer working how do i connect my iphone to a new computer without losing all the content on the phone??

Hey all,
Hope someone can help me, not very good at all this technology stuff so prob asking a really obvious question but here goes........My current laptop that im using to back up my iphone 4 and syncing is pretty much dead and i have a new laptop ready to go but iv been told so many conflicting solutions to this prob but ultimately i want to connect my phone to a new laptop without losing any of my contacts, messages and pictures!! is there a way of doing this??? please help

follow the steps given here...
Syncing to a "New" Computer or replacing a "crashed" Hard Drive

How do I sync my iphone to a new computer without losing my songs?

I got a new computer and it wants to erase all my data in order to sync it. I tried doing home share but it won't accept my old Apple ID, I tried having Apple email me my new password so I could get back onto it but the email never sends.

Syncing to a "New" Computer or replacing a "crashed" Hard Drive: Apple Support Communities
Sync Your iOS Device with a New Computer Without Losing Data - How-To Geek

How do I sync my iphone to a new computer without losing folders?

I've found several "techniques" that attempt to solve this problem, but none of them work 100%.
http://www.justinmontgomery.com/sync-ios-device-to-a-new-computer-you-are-screwe d
I upgraded from a 3 year old HP laptop to a new MacBook Pro. I transfered my entire library (100GB or so with music, videos and apps) to the new Mac before trying to sync anything. When I moved/synced my iPad from the HP to the Mac, I lost all my folders, photos and app data, such as saved games etc. I "Transfered Purchases", then backed up the iPad and restored from that backup, but still lost most of the data (and spent the next few hours re-organizing apps into folders.)
I'm glad I didn't try it on my iPhone first because the issue would have been much worse.
I can't find ANYTHING in the Apple support docs that offers a reasonable way to move ALL my data to the new Mac. Does anyone know of a way to do this without losing data? I found a video that shows how to trick the iTunes Library files into making it work, but it's from PC to PC and I doubt it would work on the Mac.
Please, Apple, fix this or make it easier.
Thanks,
J

Not simple enough. Please read the original concern.
The issue is not "getting music to the new machine" or "authorizing the new machine" or "transferring purchases from an idevice". The issue is that after doing all those things, even creating a backup using the new iTunes/Mac, syncing my device with the new library erases all the app data from the iPhone, as well as folder structure and page layout. Music is expendable in this situation as it's just a matter of moving the files around. (Which I did before I ever started this exercise.)
The problem is that everything from email accounts to folders are lost when I sync the device with a new computer. I tried this on my iPad first and spent a good deal of time re-arranging everything and getting all the data back. The pictures are just gone. Good thing I backed them up on the old PC.
It won't be as simple on my iPhone as I have a ton of stuff on it and can't afford to lose anything. Some of the data is gave saves and such, but other things are more important. And I don't want to lose those game saves either.

How can i sync my iphone to a new itunes without losing all my iphone data??? HELP

i need help , recently my laptops hard drive broke so i bought a new laptop so i needed to download a new itunes .... how can i put all my data from my iphone back onto itunes ? music, contacts, apps etc.. i heard that u cant and i would need to clear my phone entirely ?! can someone help wityh this please ???? i dont want to lose any of my iphone data ... eve if i cant put it on my itunes can i still keep it on my iphone without losing any data syncing ????
thanx , barry in ireland

Syncing to a new iTunes library or computer will erase your phone. Only if you back up your phone manually before syncing, you can restore your phone from that backup again. A manual backup does not include the sync process.
Set up your iTunes account, disable autosync in iTunes, connect your phone to your new computer and right click on it in the device list and choose backup. iTunes will backup your phone without syncing.
Transfer your purchases the same way, choosing "transfer purchases" this time.
When you connect your phone for the first time, all media content will be erased. But you can restore your settings and app data from your manual backup afterwards.
Don't forget to set up at least one contact and event on your new computer to be able to merge calendars and contacts when you sync the phone for the first time.
Music is one way only, from the computer to your device, unless you bought the songs in itunes and transferred your purchases.
There is 3rd party software out there, but not supported by Apple, see this thread: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2013615&tstart=0
About backups and what's saved:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1766
How to back up and restore:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414
How to download apps for free again:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519
Saving other data is also described here. How to back up your data and set up as a new device
Message was edited by: Ingo2711

Is there a way to synch an iphone to a new computer without losing contacts, music, and apps? New HD on my macbook, never been synched with any other devices. Thanks

Is there a way to sync an iphone to a computer that has a new hard drive without losing all the songs, apps, contacts, etc? The computer has iTunes downloaded, but no device has ever been synched to it. Sorry if this has been posted before, but if anyone could point me to the steps that I need to take it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for your quick response...we don't have a copy of the old computer...Hard drive died one morning, I now have learned the hard way that what we did was really dumb, and am backing everything up . We were told that if we synched it with a computer that didn't have a library yet it would be ok?
The procedures that I have been able to get online:
1. Go to Itunes library without phone connected
2. disable automatic synching for iphone
3. Connect iphone, back up
4. then synch
What do you think?

How do I synch my iPhone to a new PC without losing anything.

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