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How to Change Main Computer for Synching iPhone?

thehopscotch

thehopscotch

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 7, 2009
207
1
US
I got a new MacBook Pro several months ago. Up until now, I've always synched my iPhone up with my work computer (PC). My work PC has all of my backups currently on it (with apps, photos, contacts, etc), and I've never attempted connecting my iPhone to my MBP.

I'd like to begin using my MBP as the main synching computer, as my MBP has all of my music on it (2000 or so songs). Problem is...my iPhone currently has no music on it...so I can't just backup my current iPhone on my MBP.

Has anyone experienced this before? Any insight on how to properly transition to the MBP being my main synching source?

Is there a way to connect my iPhone...transfer everything on it to the MBP's iTunes (minus music), and then transfer songs to the iPhone?
 
Problem is...my iPhone currently has no music on it...so I can't just backup my current iPhone on my MBP.
Click to expand...

Uh, yeah, you can. You’re confused, it seems, about syncing and backups.

First, hook up your iPhone to iTunes. Make sure autosync is off.

Right click on your iPhone in the left pane and choose transfer purchases. This will get all your apps on the computer.

Now right click on the iPhone and choose backup iPhone (this will have all your game saves, app settings, contacts (but you're also going to sync those in the next step), notes, etc, but not pics from your old computer, songs, videos, etc....all the stuff after ringtones in the middle pane under summary).

Go to the middle pane and choose all the programs you need to sync (but not the stuff after the ringtones). Sync.

Use Image Capture to get camera roll pics transferred (although they are in the backup). Phoneview is another program to consider, if you have any non-camera roll pics you want on the MBP. FYI, you could also copy all this stuff off the PC to a DVD/CD.

Also, to be safe, use Funambol (free) to sync your contacts online. That way if anything goes wrong, you still have them somewhere.

You’ll be up and running in no time.
 
Or... you could just transfer the entire iTunes folder from one computer to the other, and yes it works from Mac to PC and vice versa.

As for this being the "proper" method, well I don't know but it gets the solution done and transfers everything quickly and easily.

Oh and on a quick note, make sure iTunes is not running while you transfer the folders.
 
-aggie- said:
Uh, yeah, you can. You’re confused, it seems, about syncing and backups.

First, hook up your iPhone to iTunes. Make sure autosync is off.

Right click on your iPhone in the left pane and choose transfer purchases. This will get all your apps on the computer.

Now right click on the iPhone and choose backup iPhone (this will have all your game saves, app settings, contacts (but you're also going to sync those in the next step), notes, etc, but not pics from your old computer, songs, videos, etc....all the stuff after ringtones in the middle pane under summary).

Go to the middle pane and choose all the programs you need to sync (but not the stuff after the ringtones). Sync.

Use Image Capture to get camera roll pics transferred (although they are in the backup). Phoneview is another program to consider, if you have any non-camera roll pics you want on the MBP. FYI, you could also copy all this stuff off the PC to a DVD/CD.

Also, to be safe, use Funambol (free) to sync your contacts online. That way if anything goes wrong, you still have them somewhere.

You’ll be up and running in no time.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat as the OP. So if I sync my iPhone to a new computer, all my contacts, saved games, etc. will go to the new computer? I was worried that sync means that my new computer (which has nothing), will transfer all that "nothing" to the iPhone, hence erasing everything I have on it.
 
I'm about to be in a similar situation helping out a friend at work.
New iPhone - she hasn't ever used it.
She is on a Windoze desktop at home (where she wants to sync)

Easiest way to get 400+ contacts is if I sync to my MacBook Air at my house (they are already in my Address Book and sync to my iPhone...

but then I need to ensure - know how we can get them out of her iPhone and into her Outlook on her PC.

I know when we first plug it in to her computer - it will recognise that the iPhone sync is with a different computer... and we can sync and loose everything (as it will sync from her computer to iPhone)...
or there is a cancel option - and thus not sync.

But how do we get the contacts out of the iPhone and into her Outlook the first time?

Once they are in Outlook I presume she can start doing normal syncing and even buy apps, put music on it the works.

Help please?
 
DJY said:
I'm about to be in a similar situation helping out a friend at work.
New iPhone - she hasn't ever used it.
She is on a Windoze desktop at home (where she wants to sync)

Easiest way to get 400+ contacts is if I sync to my MacBook Air at my house (they are already in my Address Book and sync to my iPhone...

but then I need to ensure - know how we can get them out of her iPhone and into her Outlook on her PC.

I know when we first plug it in to her computer - it will recognise that the iPhone sync is with a different computer... and we can sync and loose everything (as it will sync from her computer to iPhone)...
or there is a cancel option - and thus not sync.

But how do we get the contacts out of the iPhone and into her Outlook the first time?

Once they are in Outlook I presume she can start doing normal syncing and even buy apps, put music on it the works.

Help please?
Click to expand...

Authorize the computer. Hook up the iPhone and sync with Outlook in iTunes. To be safe make a backup first.
 
Don't worry, if you sync with more then 1 computer, it wont delete anything. It just doesn't do anything.
 
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