Upgraded to OS 3.0: Lost all contacts?

[daveske]

Okay so i upgraded to 3.0 today and i think i backed up my iphone before i upgraded (i pressed the sync button? Does that keep a backup of everything previously?)

So when i upgraded i had no contacts and im not sure where i can find them, or if i even backed it up on my PC. Iv never used outlook before but im wondering if there is a magical place that the iphone would have stored it when i clicked 'sync' before i upgraded.


Thanks HEAPS for any responses, as i would hate to have lost them all!

[Europa]

Sorry, I think they are gone. You can try going to Settings -> phone -> mail, contacts, calendars -> import SIM contacts, but I don't think that's going to work.

You have to back your contacts up in a Gmail or Yahoo account (there is a tab for syncing them with an email acct in iTunes) before you restore. I recommend setting this up on day one of getting an iPhone and then every time you sync, it will sync the contacts with the email account and they will always be up to date. You never know when you may need to restore your phone or have your phone replaced, so that's why it's important to do this the day you get the phone (unless you have mobile me which is even better because it pushes them).

[daveske]

Ahhhh! Thanks for the help.

What if, when i had upgraded the firmware, instead of 'setting up as a new iphone', i had restored from my previous? I purposely didnt do that since i was upgrading firmware and wanted to have a nice clean phone.

Is there any way to find that file to restore again? Or is it gone for good?

[Europa]

Has it backed up since you restored? If not, you can just restore again and choose from back up this time and it will find the latest back up. If it's already backed up since the restore (without the contacts), you can delete the most recent one.

If you're on Windows, you might need to show the hidden files and folders.
Right click Start->Explore->Tools (tab at the top of the explore box)->Folder Options->View Tab->Show hidden files and folders->Apply

The back ups are stored here,
Windows XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

Windows Vista:
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\AppleComputer\Mo bileSync\Backup\

Mac:
/Users/USERNAME/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/

[daveske]

Originally Posted by Europa

Has it backed up since you restored? If not, you can just restore again and choose from back up this time and it will find the latest back up. If it's already backed up since the restore (without the contacts), you can delete the most recent one.

If you're on Windows, you might need to show the hidden files and folders.
Right click Start->Explore->Tools (tab at the top of the explore box)->Folder Options->View Tab->Show hidden files and folders->Apply

The back ups are stored here,
Windows XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

Windows Vista:
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\AppleComputer\Mo bileSync\Backup\

Mac:
/Users/USERNAME/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/

Wow thanks a lot! Ill give this a go. Its a glimmer of hope to say the least.
Im not 100% sure if its backed up since the last. Id say it probably has because i was stressing out and trying many a thing.

In the folder you mentioned, there are so many files and im trying to sort through which one is the one im after, the properties are saying it was last synced about an hour ago. Im trying to sift through which was synced earlier. If these is one? Im in the process of restoring and it gives me the option to back up from 'Dave's Iphone' which the one i made when i upgraded. Im after 'DP Iphone' though.

edit - I dont think it is there. No idea how to sift through the .mddata / .mdinfo and it was all last modified today except for 2 files which are 18kb each. dont think its the back up im looking for.