I tried to be an Apple expert and need some help.

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My wife's iMac had the hard drive fail 2 weeks ago. I did all I could to try and use DU to save or transfer any of the data to an external HD (I bought her en external HD to backup to but she told she never did ) and I was unable to get ANY data off the HD as it would not even mount.

So I took the computer to our local Mac store( Not Apple ) Mac TLC here in San Antonio. They are great guys. Anyway, they were able to get her "User" data from her computer to an external HD. He said that meant Pictures, Music and Documents. Is the ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup included in the "User" data?

What I did was try to sync her phone to my macbook on her user account. Of course it said the phone was synced to another library so I hit backup then transfered apps. Well, of course that transfered her purchased music and apps but wiped out all the music and she wants to kill me. Anyway, to the point.

If the backup MacTLC did which includes the user files can I add those User files or even JUST the last backup she did on her old computer to the macbook or even a new computer? The guy said he might be able to migrate the data to a new hard drive but it is not for sure. So I wanted to go pick up external HD from them and try to just take that backup and add it to her account on my macbook so she can now sync with that itunes account using her same apple ID.

I hope I was kind of clear, I am at work and in a hurry. ANY help would be appreciated! Thanks.:D
 

robduckyworth


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so what you have is her User folder on an external drive, with everything underneath it (i.e Music, movies, Documents and so on?)

why dont you just plug in the external with those files on it, then create a new account on your working macbook under her name, then drag the corresponding files over?

i wouldn't recommend dragging the whole user folder on top of the new one, could cause conflicts in Apps that you have installed and so on.

im hoping ive understood your question correctly?
 
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so what you have is her User folder on an external drive, with everything underneath it (i.e Music, movies, Documents and so on?)

why dont you just plug in the external with those files on it, then create a new account on your working macbook under her name, then drag the corresponding files over?

i wouldn't recommend dragging the whole user folder on top of the new one, could cause conflicts in Apps that you have installed and so on.

im hoping ive understood your question correctly?

I think you did understand even thought it was scattered. What the mac tech said he had was her "user files" on the external and that was all he could get from the dead HD. So he is going to install a new HD today and TRY to migrate all of the data. If he cannot do that he is going to do a clean install of the OS and she would be starting from scratch and have to restore her iphone. I am trying to prevent that.

So the question is IF within those user files I can find her last back up from her iphone @ /Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup can I simply go to the same location on her new computer OR on her account and replace the /Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup(from old computer) with the one from the external HD? I am guessing she would just plug in iPhone and restore and it would restore from the back up added.

I just want to see what you guys think before I make her anymore mad about this whole thing and she goes back to a PC laptop and flip phone:p

Thanks for the reply

EDIT: + Rep
 

robduckyworth


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thank you for the rep :)

this "~" means user, as you stated in the path earlier, so it should be in the user folder, if that is the correct path.

im not too sure on how you would implement the back up, but if its music she is worried about, the technician has backed them up so she could do a new sync.

if you have contacts in your Address book, you should be able to import them.
 
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thank you for the rep :)

this "~" means user, as you stated in the path earlier, so it should be in the user folder, if that is the correct path.

im not too sure on how you would implement the back up, but if its music she is worried about, the technician has backed them up so she could do a new sync.

if you have contacts in your Address book, you should be able to import them.

I will see in about an hour what the Tech did. He said he was able to migrate a lot of the data. I just want her to be able to sync her phone with no issues.

The NEXT issue is I renewed her old mobile me account to sync her contacts but she was made becasue her old mobile me address was with her maiden name and she wanted it changed to our married name......

I just found out you cannot change this once you renew the account. I wonder if I cancel account and set up new mobile me account how this is going to affect everything. I cannot imgaine this is going to be a good or easy process.

Thanks again for the reply.
 

robduckyworth


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unfortunately, im not lucky enough to have an iphone or mobileme so hopefully someone else can chime in. :)
 

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