Syncing iPhone with Erased iTunes Library (?)

[jt33murray]

Sorry if this has been answered before. I couldn't find such a post, though.

My iTunes 10.1 library mysteriously went blank the other day (all playlists and podcast subscriptions gone). Luckily, the files were still on my Mac, so I was able to get things back to how they used to be (almost).

Now I want to sync my iPhone 3G, but the syncing options on iTunes are all reset back to square one. It doesn't remember the music and podcasts I have clicked to be synced. Totally blank. I backed up my iPhone, but refrained from doing anything else yet.

With some effort, I can set it up on the iTunes side to replicate settings for the songs and podcasts I already have on the phone - but I am hoping for a simpler solution. Also, I am very concerned that various, notes, photos, application saves, etc will be wiped in this "syncing from scratch" process.

(I should add that I have a month old backup of my music files and iTunes library. I used the backed up "iTunes Music Library.xml" file to help restore my playlists - but it didn't help with the iPhone sync settings.)

Can I use something from the backup to set things straight? Any advice?

 

[JamesMB]

I think if this was me, I would connect the phone to iTunes, right click on your device in the left pane and select "Transfer Purchases" just in case. If you have a current iPhone backup of your phone, in itunes, drag a copy to your desktop, just to be safe. Check the various tabs in iTunes and make sure that you have everything checked correctly, and that the apps are still in the correct position and folder. Take a deep breath and press the sync button. If you are lucky, iTunes will ask you some questions, answer them and let it sync.

 

[jt33murray]

Thank you for the advice. I backed up the iPhone, transferred my purchases, copied duplicates of the crucial files elsewhere (the library, the xml file, and the MobileSync backup folder).

I'm ready to reselect all the appropriate music files, podcasts, and apps before syncing - but then iTunes warns me: Are you sure you want to sync (X)? All existing (X) on the iPhone will be replaced.

Never having done this before, this message is really disconcerting. Since I've taken the steps above, is it a safe bet these "replaced" files will be unchanged? The music and podcasts would be inconvenient to lose, but the data on some of the apps are crucial.

Shall I just ignore the warnings when selecting what to sync, and dive in?

 

[JamesMB]

Thank you for the advice. I backed up the iPhone, transferred my purchases, copied duplicates of the crucial files elsewhere (the library, the xml file, and the MobileSync backup folder).

I'm ready to reselect all the appropriate music files, podcasts, and apps before syncing - but then iTunes warns me: Are you sure you want to sync (X)? All existing (X) on the iPhone will be replaced.

Never having done this before, this message is really disconcerting. Since I've taken the steps above, is it a safe bet these "replaced" files will be unchanged? The music and podcasts would be inconvenient to lose, but the data on some of the apps are crucial.

Shall I just ignore the warnings when selecting what to sync, and dive in?

If you transferred purchases, your app data should be safe.
I know that it's disconcerting, but you are going to get those warnings. If everything is back in Itunes, you aren't going to lose anything. I can't stress this enough....Make sure that you check all the tabs in Itunes associated with your device, ESPECIALLY THE SUMMARY AND INFO TAB. You might want to have a look at the apps tab, make sure sync apps is checked, and that the apps are all in the correct folders and positions.

 

[jt33murray]

Everything seemed to work. Had a mess to rearrange afterwards, but at least I didn't lose anything that couldn't be put back on the iphone. Thanks for your help.

 

[JamesMB]

Everything seemed to work.

Glad you got it sorted out.

Had a mess to rearrange afterwards, but at least I didn't lose anything that couldn't be put back on the iphone.

That wouldn't have happened if you had rearranged your apps in the apps tab before you synced, as I suggested in the previous post. I'm sure that you know it, but you can arrange the apps on your phone in iTunes under the apps tab and then sync to your phone. Much easier than trying to move apps around on the phone itself.