Setting up iPhone on new laptop.

[Luke.]

My laptop died earlier and need to get a new sorted. But in the meantime, does anyone know how to set my existing iPhone up on the new laptop. Googled it but it all seems a bit of a palava, surely this must be a common problem?

[GingerRob]

In wat way set it up have you got new laptop?

[Noger]

Download iTunes. Plug iPhone in. Pray. You get a few scary messages about "everything being removed" but later on it says it will copy everything from the iPhone to the laptop.

It isn't perfect, I ended up with duplicate applications in the iTunes App view, but it didn't lose anything.

[Luke.]

Noger said:

Download iTunes. Plug iPhone in. Pray. You get a few scary messages about "everything being removed" but later on it says it will copy everything from the iPhone to the laptop.

It isn't perfect, I ended up with duplicate applications in the iTunes App view, but it didn't lose anything.

Really? Didn't think it would be that easy. Cheers.

[Luke.]

GingerRob said:

In wat way set it up have you got new laptop?

New laptop arrives tomorrow.

[Noger]

Luke. said:

Noger said:

Download iTunes. Plug iPhone in. Pray. You get a few scary messages about "everything being removed" but later on it says it will copy everything from the iPhone to the laptop.

It isn't perfect, I ended up with duplicate applications in the iTunes App view, but it didn't lose anything.

Really? Didn't think it would be that easy. Cheers.

Yes, at is most simple, it just does it. But that assumes that your iPhone has everything that was on iTunes on the old machine.

The problem is that you lose one of your "lives" on the DRM, unless you can get on to the old lappy and de-authorise it.

Moving iTunes from one machine to another when not everything is on the iPhone is a little more complicated. And I have a vague idea that if you are syncing you mail/contacts then that may be an added complication ?

I was fairly surprised when it worked too ! It hosed the order of the apps and screens IIRC but apart from that, and the duplicate iTunes icons, it was fairly painless.

Edited by Noger on Tuesday 9th March 09:40

[Luke.]

Thanks again for the reply. Really helpful. Just out curiosity as I know someone else in the same boat, I'm assuming it's the same scenario for Macs as it is for PCs?

[Luke.]

From reading around the internet, it says the iPhone will only back up stuff bought through iTunes and not all the CDs I've copied over etc.

Anyone know if this is true or a way round it if it is?

Hardly bought a thing off iTunes apart from the apps.

[Noger]

Aha, yes, that is one level up from "the most simple".

Is the old laptop properly dead, or just a bit ill ?

As a last resort you could pull the HDD and try to connect it up via USB to see if the non-purchased content is on there.

If it just a bit ill you could either copy the files to USB stick/drive or if they are networked together use the "home sharing" (?) facility in iTunes.

[Blue Meanie]

Do you have a backup copy of all your stuff from your old laptop?

[Luke.]

Noger said:

Aha, yes, that is one level up from "the most simple".

Is the old laptop properly dead, or just a bit ill ?

As a last resort you could pull the HDD and try to connect it up via USB to see if the non-purchased content is on there.

If it just a bit ill you could either copy the files to USB stick/drive or if they are networked together use the "home sharing" (?) facility in iTunes.

Its properly dead - cant get past a vertical stripy screen. Pressed esc and nothing happens on booting up. Got no back up either.

[Blue Meanie]

Luke. said:

Got no back up either.

Oh dear. You might be able to get apple to reinstate your purchases. Plus, you can use sharepod to get your music off the iPod.