Initial Setup of New iPhone 5 to New MacBook Air-Can't Access Dead PC for Old Backup

[lelisa13p]

My son is getting my old iPhone 5 this week to replace his iPhone 4. iPhone 4 synced to a now-dead PC laptop. New MacBook Air doesn't have iTunes installed yet. I set up his iPhones when I pass them along to him and it has always gone smoothly by making a backup of the old phone and then using that backup to restore to the new iPhone. This time the data is trapped.

Do we begin by installing iTunes to the MacBook and authorizing it?

My main concern it this: Will it be possible to make a backup of the iPhone 4 as usual without it being wiped during the process? I always disable the Automatic Sync function in iTunes.

This ought not to be so confusing and I'm a bit embarrassed that I can't seem to work this out any easier. Thanks for all help.

 

[Cmd-Z]

It depends on what you're hoping to carry over from the old iPhone 4. Since iPhones can only sync to one library, the apps, music, and video content will be erased if/when you sync the iPhone 4 to the Mac Air.

However, you should be able to perform a backup of the iPhone 4 on the new Air even though the media will be wiped. The backup of the iPhone 4 will consist of its settings, accounts, iMessage history, Camera Roll, etc. so that backup could then be applied to the iPhone 5. He can then re-download iTunes purchases from iCloud (or to the Air and sync them over). If he keeps Contacts, make sure they're synced to iCloud or some other email service as the backup does not contain contacts.

To be safe, perhaps set the iPhone 4 to backup to his iCloud before doing anything. You can always fall back to that backup in case a local backup to the Air fails to complete properly.

 

[lelisa13p]

All of this extra security is great until you have to do something like this, at which time it becomes a multi-faceted headache.

 

[Cmd-Z]

Yes, if Find My iPhone is enabled on any iOS 7 or later device you have to disable that before you can restore. So do that on the iPhone 5, and probably do the same with the 4 if it is on iOS 7 and Find My iPhone is enabled, since I presume you'll pass on or sell the 4 to someone else.

If your son has his own iCloud account then he can turn Find My iPhone back on for the new 5, you don't need to do anything further about the S/N. If you share the same ID for iCloud, just be sure to set your iMessage and FaceTime settings such that you're not getting each other's messages, etc. But it is best to have your own IDs.

 

[lelisa13p]

Thanks for that info. I edited my previous post before I saw your recent reply and now my question is missing.

I had just found some info at Apple support that outlined what you've described. The goal is to keep sharing the same Apple ID for Find My iPhone and the App Store (he hasn't been using iMessage but will now. FaceTime uses his phone # and a different email acct.)

 

[Cmd-Z]

If you want to keep the iPhone 5 on your Find My iPhone, then yes you'll have to keep him on your ID for iCloud. (The alternative to sharing and ID is him using his own ID, then you can use Find My Friends to locate him. You can also log into iCloud.com with his ID to get the full Find My iPhone features.)

But if you're going to share the ID for iCloud, then on his new iPhone go into Settings for Messages and FaceTime, select Send & Receive, and look for the "I can be reached at ..." and "Start new conversations from ..." options and unselect your iCloud account. In the end, these settings should only include his phone number, and optionally his email address. Note that anytime you restore his iPhone or do a major iOS update you'll probably have to verify these settings since they tend to default back to using the iCloud ID.

 

[lelisa13p]

Find My iPhone is to keep track of all of our Apple hardware. The only downside I can see is that he won't be backing up to iCloud (but doesn't anyway and has no interest in PhotoStream, etc.)

We had to adjust the Send From & Receive At settings in September when Yosemite was released and most recently last week, when he upgraded the MacBook Air to the newest release of Yosemite.

Thanks for the help. I'm likely attempting this on Friday. Cross your fingers.