How do I restore from backup?

[Roger1122]

I backup to iCloud, but how do I restore my iPhone 4 using the backup?

I recently had a problem that the Apple store guy said was due to corrupted files and/or memory and he restored things from backup. I'd like to do the same but I can't duplicate what he did. He said NOT to do a complete reset, so please don't suggest this. In spite of this I got desperate enough to try it and it didn't work...

 

[EWyatt]

Good luck, Roger! First off, I didn't think that iCloud was functional with an iPhone 4 (vs the 4S) unless iOS 5 allows this. (anyone??) Secondly, it shouldn't be this hard for us to navigate through our updates, upgrades, Restores, Resets, iTunes, etc... The iPhone is a jewel, but sometimes it requires undue finagling.

 

[Roger1122]

Good luck, Roger! First off, I didn't think that iCloud was functional with an iPhone 4 (vs the 4S) unless iOS 5 allows this. (anyone??) Secondly, it shouldn't be this hard for us to navigate through our updates, upgrades, Restores, Resets, iTunes, etc... The iPhone is a jewel, but sometimes it requires undue finagling.

It is functional with my iPhone 4, no question about that. It came with iOS 5, and I am on iOS 5.1 now. It's just uncontrollable!

 

[zig9449]

Good luck, Roger! First off, I didn't think that iCloud was functional with an iPhone 4 (vs the 4S) unless iOS 5 allows this. (anyone??) Secondly, it shouldn't be this hard for us to navigate through our updates, upgrades, Restores, Resets, iTunes, etc... The iPhone is a jewel, but sometimes it requires undue finagling.

Literally anything related to restores, backups, and resets is more then easy.

It is like anything else. Ya just have I get use to it. Simple. Most people who have an iPhone don't want to take the time to learn a few way steps. The steps ate nothing but unfamiliar words. Not hard...not complex....just hard to understand sometimes at first. All ya have to do, is learn what those words mean. Like SHSH, backups, root partition. Obviously anyone that knows anything about computers knows them words, but still a lot of people don't.

They don't understand the directions 100% then say its too complicated and hard. All ya have to do is get use to what things you should do and know what the hell Apple is talking about in there manuals. Tho I never use iTunes but for one time.

After I restore. If I restore my device, I sync it with iTunes once, Applying all my music and Ringtones.

I unplug, and that's the last time I open iTunes for my phone until I restore my phone again. which is usually a pretty long time. I don't need iTjnes for anything other then applying myopic, and the few ringtones I have.

I have my own way of backing up data. I like like to package
my .plist files into deb packages with Terminal. I do this with individual things: messages, call logs, Safari history, account history. Much better then one backup file with all that content. The more content being transferred at one time......the more room there is for corrupt files. not that that happens all the time, but this is possible. and it does happen.

Just saying....I would much rather use the tools that jailbreaking provides then use the tools that Apple provides. I really don't like iTunes that much. But like I said....I only use it once....and that's after a restore in which I always setup as new.

 

[Roger1122]

Literally anything related to restores, backups, and resets is more then easy.

It is like anything else. Ya just have I get use to it. Simple. Most people who have an iPhone don't want to take the time to learn a few way steps. The steps ate nothing but unfamiliar words. Not hard...not complex....just hard to understand sometimes at first. All ya have to do, is learn what those words mean. Like SHSH, backups, root partition. Obviously anyone that knows anything about computers knows them words, but still a lot of people don't.

After I restore. If I restore my device, I sync it with iTunes once, Applying all my music and Ringtones.

Thanks. I have been using computers since before Apple existed, so I am familiar with the words. I can also follow instructions. So please give me the instructions or tell where I can get a manual that lists them. Just to clear the air again, my uPhone IS backed up to iCloud. I now want to restore my iPhone to the state preserved in this backup, I'm sure that, as you say, it is simple when you know how, but I don't know how.

Help! Please!!

 

[zig9449]

Thanks. I have been using computers since before Apple existed, so I am familiar with the words. I can also follow instructions. So please give me the instructions or tell where I can get a manual that lists them. Just to clear the air again, my uPhone IS backed up to iCloud. I now want to restore my iPhone to the state preserved in this backup, I'm sure that, as you say, it is simple when you know how, but I don't know how.

Help! Please!!

Okay. This is how.

Stock: power off device. When powered off, hold the home button while you plug in the device.

Click restore. (perhaps speed up the process up by downloading the ipsw for the latest iOS.....iOS 5.1 (if u do care about jailbreaking. Download 5.0.1)

Jailbroken: enter DFU mode, shif+click restore on iTunes pointing to the iOS 5[ ipsw. Assuming that you want ios 5.1 and not 5.0.1.

If you still want 5.0.1....that is a way different process.

 

[Roger1122]

Thank you. I haven't tried it yet but it seems perfectly clear. Well, except that I've not found anything labelled "restore" that I could click. I'm hoping that perhaps that comes up when I follow your instructions. I'll report back either way.

 

[zig9449]

Thank you. I haven't tried it yet but it seems perfectly clear. Well, except that I've not found anything labelled "restore" that I could click. I'm hoping that perhaps that comes up when I follow your instructions. I'll report back either way.

Yes. It will.

When you enter DFU mode (black screen) or Recovery Mode (Connect to iTunes logo)

iTunes will open and say it has discovered a device in recovery mode. Simply click okay, ten click restore.

Like i said. If you want the restor to be quicker, then download the ipsw for your iOS that you'll be restoring to and save it to our desktop.

Then after clicking the okay in discovered recovery mode message popup, hold down the shift key on your keyboard while you click the restore button.

You can also just click restore , but then iTunes will download the ipsw automatically..,,,.which take at least 3x's longer ten downloading it from a server that's so swamped. It will just take way longer.

 

[Roger1122]

Okay. This is how.

Stock: power off device. When powered off, hold the home button while you plug in the device.

Click restore. (perhaps speed up the process up by downloading the ipsw for the latest iOS.....iOS 5.1 (if u do care about jailbreaking. Download 5.0.1)

Jailbroken: enter DFU mode, shif+click restore on iTunes pointing to the iOS 5[ ipsw. Assuming that you want ios 5.1 and not 5.0.1.

If you still want 5.0.1....that is a way different process.

OK, I powered off the phone (which is iOS 5.1 and not jail broken), and held down the home button when I plugged it in to the charger. But I do not find a "restore" option to click anywhere in my phone. I hope your instructions do not assume I will be plugging it into the USB port of a computer running iTunes, because I will not use iTunes. My wife has her own iPhone and Apple ID but she shares the use of many of the applications I installed on mine before she got hers. iTunes screws up things when we try to use it on either of our phones. It simply can't keep track of what should and shouldn't be on our two iPhones. The last time I tried it I lost my recent music purchases but got all her e-mail addresses added to mine, and mine to hers.

I hope you can make a helpful suggestion in this situation. The guy in the Apple shop didn't need iTunes, so I shouldn't.

 

[zig9449]

OK, I powered off the phone (which is iOS 5.1 and not jail broken), and held down the home button when I plugged it in to the charger. But I do not find a "restore" option to click anywhere in my phone. I hope your instructions do not assume I will be plugging it into the USB port of a computer running iTunes, because I will not use iTunes. My wife has her own iPhone and Apple ID but she shares the use of many of the applications I installed on mine before she got hers. iTunes screws up things when we try to use it on either of our phones. It simply can't keep track of what should and shouldn't be on our two iPhones. The last time I tried it I lost my recent music purchases but got all her e-mail addresses added to mine, and mine to hers.

I hope you can make a helpful suggestion in this situation. The guy in the Apple shop didn't need iTunes, so I shouldn't.

Okay then.

Well....as it may be....you must use iTunes to restore your device.

It is the only way. It cannot be done on the iPhone itself.

But I feel you about iTunes. I hate it myself.

The reason why iTunes screws everything up for you is because it syncs your device every time it's plugged in with iTunes open. This is what causes things to get deleted and moved around.

You can fix this by opening iTunes on your computer (do not plug in device tho).

Open iTunes, and in the top left corner click: "Edit"

Then click: "Preferences"

Then In that window that pops up...click: "Devices". it's the iPhone icon.

There will be a white box with a list of all your backup files.

Underneath that white box I want you to click on the small box:
"Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically".

Be sure to click "OK" at the bottom or that setting will not save.

Once that is done, iTunes cannot modify anything without you manually doing so. Preventing iTunes from applying any changes to your device.

So do as I said in the above post I wrote (holding home button while plugging in) open iTunes and their will be the restore button. after clicking okay in the "ITunes has discovered a device in recovery mode. It must be restored be for using with iTunes" popup.

Once that is done, restore our device.

After iPhone reboots, choose to restore from backup.

If you want to restore from an iCloud backup...then don't do anything in iTunes after the device reboots. Jut users setup assistant on the phone , and choose to restore from an iCloyd backup.

Once restore is done....Ypi should have all your apps musc and info from the iCloud backup.

 

[bab2010]

OK, I powered off the phone (which is iOS 5.1 and not jail broken), and held down the home button when I plugged it in to the charger. But I do not find a "restore" option to click anywhere in my phone. I hope your instructions do not assume I will be plugging it into the USB port of a computer running iTunes, because I will not use iTunes. My wife has her own iPhone and Apple ID but she shares the use of many of the applications I installed on mine before she got hers. iTunes screws up things when we try to use it on either of our phones. It simply can't keep track of what should and shouldn't be on our two iPhones. The last time I tried it I lost my recent music purchases but got all her e-mail addresses added to mine, and mine to hers.

I hope you can make a helpful suggestion in this situation. The guy in the Apple shop didn't need iTunes, so I shouldn't.

You need to do it with iTunes on your computer. So connect your iPhone to your computer and do as zig suggested to you, remember to have iTunes open and running on the computer before you plug your iPhone, then you will receive the option to restore. If you have shsh saved and have already downloaded iOS 5.0.1 then you can shift+restore to open the file finder dialogue, navigate within and locate your iOS 5.0.1 which you download and restore it. If you are going with the latest iOS 5.1, then just click on restore when iTunes ask you as soon as you plugin your iPhone, iTunes will then download the latest iOS and restore it on your iPhone.

 

[Roger1122]

Okay then.

Well....as it may be....you must use iTunes to restore your device.

It is the only way. It cannot be done on the iPhone itself.

But I feel you about iTunes. I hate it myself.

The reason why iTunes screws everything up for you is because it syncs your device every time it's plugged in with iTunes open. This is what causes things to get deleted and moved around.

You can fix this by opening iTunes on your computer (do not plug in device tho).

Open iTunes, and in the top left corner click: "Edit"

Then click: "Preferences"

Then In that window that pops up...click: "Devices". it's the iPhone icon.

There will be a white box with a list of all your backup files.

Underneath that white box I want you to click on the small box:
"Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically".

Be sure to click "OK" at the bottom or that setting will not save.

Once that is done, iTunes cannot modify anything without you manually doing so. Preventing iTunes from applying any changes to your device.

So do as I said in the above post I wrote (holding home button while plugging in) open iTunes and their will be the restore button. after clicking okay in the "ITunes has discovered a device in recovery mode. It must be restored be for using with iTunes" popup.

Once that is done, restore our device.

After iPhone reboots, choose to restore from backup.

If you want to restore from an iCloud backup...then don't do anything in iTunes after the device reboots. Jut users setup assistant on the phone , and choose to restore from an iCloyd backup.

Once restore is done....Ypi should have all your apps musc and info from the iCloud backup.

I have a problem in that the popup box that appears after I boot up iTunes, select "Edit," "Preferences" and then "Devices," the small selection box for "Prevent iPads, iPhones and iPads from syncing automatically" is off the screen, or rather outside the edge of the box. The size of the box cannot be changed by seizing the corner and stretching it, so I cannot see what the current setting is nor can I change it.

Dead end.

I am very grateful for this detailed help but have no idea what you can suggest next!

Roger

 

[zig9449]

i kind of don't know what you mean.

close iTunes, log off computer, log back on, open iTunes and do it again. just make sure that box has a check mark in it.

 

[Roger1122]

i kind of don't know what you mean.

close iTunes, log off computer, log back on, open iTunes and do it again. just make sure that box has a check mark in it.

I described the problem and the cure in a bit more detail in my last post, so hopefully you'll now know what was going on.

I'm off to bed shortly, but here is what has happened so far.

The "restore" restored my iPhone to its brand new state. Since under NO CIRCUMSTANCES do I want iTunes syncing it, I disconnected it from the PC and set up the basics, including opting for iCloud backup. There is a backup from yesterday in the Cloud, and this has all my apps and data in it, so I have turned OFF backup for now as I do not want the barebones current state of my phone backed up and overwriting all my data and photographs.

Please tell me how I can use the backup in the Cloud to restore all my apps and data.

Thanks... And now to bed!

Roger

 

[zig9449]

I described the problem and the cure in a bit more detail in my last post, so hopefully you'll now know what was going on.

I'm off to bed shortly, but here is what has happened so far.

The "restore" restored my iPhone to its brand new state. Since under NO CIRCUMSTANCES do I want iTunes syncing it, I disconnected it from the PC and set up the basics, including opting for iCloud backup. There is a backup from yesterday in the Cloud, and this has all my apps and data in it, so I have turned OFF backup for now as I do not want the barebones current state of my phone backed up and overwriting all my data and photographs.

Please tell me how I can use the backup in the Cloud to restore all my apps and data.

Thanks... And now to bed!

Roger

You should have just left the phone alone after the choosing to restore from an iCloud backup.

Go to Settings> iCloud> Storage&Backup and wait til it does not say "restoring iPhone". if it still says that then it is still downloading files from the backup.

The restore process is not done as soon as the phone reboots. It's still slowly downloading everything that was in that backup. It can take a while. The more data you had the longer it will take

Also. You should not have disconnected it from iTunes. U should have just let it sync. iTunes knows it was restored from an iCloud backup. It would not have changed anything. I see your hate for iTunes is strong. So is mine.lol

Another thing. The iCloud backup can only continue when it's plugged in and connected to wifi.

Your app data and apps should continue downloading when you device is plugged in and connected to wifi.