The best way is to use iTunes. You can use iTunes to sync content on your computer (such as music, podcasts, videos, ringtones1, photos, email account settings, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks) with your iPhone or iPod touch. Syncing makes sure this content is the same on your iPhone or iPod touch and computer. You can also use iTunes to create a backup of settings and certain other information on your iPhone or iPod touch to use in case you want to restore the software on your iPhone or iPod touch or transfer this information to a different device. Backup information includes information such as mail settings, text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, sound settings, widget settings, certain network settings, and other preferences.
By default iPhone will automatically sync and create a backup each time your iPhone is connected to your computer. If you want to manually create an iPhone backup, Plug your iPhone into your computer, launch iTunes, select your iPhone in the ‘DEVICES’ list, right-Click on iPhone, select “Back Up”, then wait for iPhone backup to complete. This method will create a backup of your iPhone that you will be able to restore, and the procedure is the same in Mac OS or Windows.You can use a backup to restore settings and other information to your iPhone or iPod touch after a software restore or update, or to transfer information to a different device.
Many people may have the need to backup iPhone files to computer without iTunes’ sync. For the information of those people, I just introduce a way to backup iPhone without iTunes. Using 4Media iPhone Max, an iPhone manager software, anyone can easily backup any files on iPhone to computer. the software is not free, if you want to use it you have to pay for it.
Creating a Backup with iTunes
Backups can be created in the following ways:
- If you have configured your iPhone or iPod touch to automatically sync with iTunes on a specific computer, iTunes will back up the iPhone or iPod touch after you connect it to that computer and sync with iTunes. iTunes will not automatically back up an iPhone or iPod touch that is not configured to sync with that computer. iTunes only makes one backup each time you connect, even if you sync multiple times before disconnecting.
- If you do not have your iPhone or iPod touch sync automatically when connected, iTunes will create a backup when you choose to sync.
- Right-click (or Control-click) the iPhone or iPod touch in iTunes under Devices and choose Back Up.
- If you choose to update the software, iTunes will back up the iPhone and iPod touch automatically.
- If you choose to restore the software to factory settings, iTunes will ask you if you want to back up the iPhone and iPod touch.
- After restoring your iPhone or iPod touch software to factory settings iTunes will provide a Set Up Your iPhone / iPod touch screen.
- If you choose to "Restore from the backup of," iTunes makes a copy of the backup you chose to restore from and that copy is marked in the syncing preferences of iTunes with the date and time when the backup was created.
Restoring from a Backup
To restore information from a backup use one of the following methods after connecting your iPhone or iPod touch to the computer you normally sync with:
- In iTunes, select the device, then select the Summary tab and click Restore (this deletes all data on iPhone and restores to factory settings). When prompted by iTunes, select the option to restore your settings.
or
- Right-click (or Control-click) the device, and choose Restore from Backup.
You can get this detailed iPhone and iPod touch backup and restore information from Apple site. What do you think about this method? Are you satisfied with the iTunes backup or do you want the help of special software like 4media iphone max to backup and restore files ?
