[pwdlover]

Oh boy...... I'm hoping someone can help!!!

Short version: Dad's iphone being clunky and hadn't had an update for a long time. They (Mum & Dad) have a little iBook G4 which is running Tiger and iTunes 9.something. Error message 11 when trying to update phone on iBook so I thought I'd do the update on my MBP. Had another error message and had to restore the phone losing all his stuff. Have all his contact data on the iBook but.... now the phone won't work on the iBook cause it needs iTunes 10.something and the iBook can't download that.

So.... how do I get his contact data back from the iBook back onto his phone?

Is there some way to manage two phones on one laptop? Do I set up an account for dad on my laptop and do it all for him through that?????????

Hope someone can help me.

Cheers

Jenny

[Some Random Bloke]

I don't think all is lost, but I don't have a complete solution.

Multiple iOS devices can be managed on one laptop - it should just identify them separately in the iTunes sidebar (I have about 4!). The trick will be keeping contact libraries separate - I don't have an answer for that short of setting up a separate OS X user account so your solution is probably best.

I'm told iOS backups are kept in ~/library/application support/mobilesync/backup. I've checked mine and presume the folders that are there are backups because they have a hexadecimal name rather than the one I gave them in iTunes. You *might* be able to copy them onto the MBP and backup from there, but I'm only guessing so you might want to do some more research before you try. Caveat emptor!

Hope that helps.

[Ken Gracey]

Ouch Jen,

Ok two things does he have an iCloud account ? and secondly can you update your fathers ibook to the latests version of iTunes, and then try restoring his phone from there.

Failing that, erase the actual (iPhone) from settings ~general ~ reset ~ erase all content and settings, and once you get the grey screen, thats wants you to enter all your data, enter your fathers info, as per normal. and then plug it into his macbook, go to iTunes and select Restore from the last back up.

[klytia]

Good idea Ken but was there a last backup done?

[bitingmidge]

Ken Gracey, on 11 July 2012 - 07:59 AM, said:

Ouch Jen,

Ok two things does he have an iCloud account ? and secondly can you update your fathers ibook to the latests version of iTunes, and then try restoring his phone from there.

On Tiger?

Cheers,

P

[Ken Gracey]

Good point Pete, but I am hoping he has an iCloud account on his iPhone as opposed to his Mac.

[pwdlover]

Sigh!!!!!!! Tiger (which is what my Dad's little iBook is running) seems to believe that the most up-to-date iTunes is 9.something. And now his iPhone (on which I updated the software via my MBP)won't talk to iTunes on his iBook. Hence my problem!!!!!

I'm thinking I might just create an account on my MBP for him. Just want to confirm...... if I do that.... when I get a message saying "Warning all the contacts in your Address Book will be replaced" they mean just the Address Book in Dad's account don't they? Nothing I do when I'm logged in to Dad's account will affect what's in my main account on my MBP yeah??????????

Don't want to stuff up MY Mac!!!!!!!

Thanks for your thoughts so far.

[Ken Gracey]

My wife and myself both sync our iPhones to the same Mac, and I know my contacts dont appear on her phone, or visa versa, but again that's under lion, with two separate iTunes accounts and two separate iCloud accounts.