Ipad sync and back up

[dhiru]

Originally Posted by stustaff

I think I'm missing something firstly, why wouldn't you want to have a backup in case of loss or crash?

Secondly if you don't want it to auto back off why not just untick the sync automatically button in iTunes?

Very strange.

Backups are very slow. I prefer to backup my ipad only once a month. What i need every time is only sync for syncing either new app or new book. Itunes does not give option to turnoff backup only. So unticking sync will not help as clicking on sync immidiately starts backing up and many times even clicking on cross will not stop backup process.

[stustaff]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I was assuming, you see, that an iPad backup was like a backup of my hard disk - that it actually made a physical copy of the data. From what you're saying, though, it doesn't. The backup simply says "your iPad contains a copy of file 'x' which is at such-and-such a location on disk", and then, when you restore it, it copies file 'x' from its original location on disk. Is that correct?

Thanks for the explanation - that makes more sense now.

Yeh spot on, sorry if I was being overly simple sounding that last time

Well in a way it is doing the same thing as your hard drive backup, it just cleverly knows there is already a copy of that video file on the HD so doesn't create ANOTHER copy of the same data, otherwise your backup would be 40gb and a lot of that be duplicates of existing material already on your HD.

This is why I don't get when people say backups take a long time... It's only actually writing in your case 114mb of data!

Mine takes less than 1 minute to do a full backup.

[stustaff]

Originally Posted by dhiru

Backups are very slow. I prefer to backup my ipad only once a month. What i need every time is only sync for syncing either new app or new book. Itunes does not give option to turnoff backup only. So unticking sync will not help as clicking on sync immidiately starts backing up and many times even clicking on cross will not stop backup process.

Ah I see I think I'm missing the point because for me a backup is a 30 second task so why wouldn't I do it kind of thing.

I guess on PC iTunes ain't as good.

[tyche]

The big backup times are from my books, pdf's, and comics. Everything on my iPad is a copy from my PC which I already have the data backuped up. I don't need iTunes making another copy of 30GB of apps and files. If I wipe my iPad, I just sync with iTunes again.

For people who create documents or photos and stuff, a backup is useful but why does it need to backup your apps.

[stustaff]

Originally Posted by tyche

The big backup times are from my books, pdf's, and comics. Everything on my iPad is a copy from my PC which I already have the data backuped up. I don't need iTunes making another copy of 30GB of apps and files. If I wipe my iPad, I just sync with iTunes again.

For people who create documents or photos and stuff, a backup is useful but why does it need to backup your apps.

It only backs up the actual app not the files, they are already on your computer and it just adds their location to the backup data so in future it knows where to get them from.

It only backs up new materials, I have 6gb of comics in cloud reader and comic zeal and books etc and my backup takes exactly 1 minute 42 seconds(I know I said 30 secs earlier but I just timed it)

It doesn't back up any apps twice..? They are already on the PC so why would it? Although if you downloaded an app direct to device it will back that up on the FIRST sync so you also have it on pc.

[HarryT]

As I said in a previous post, excessively long backup times are a well-known issue on the iPad, as a Google search will reveal. Nobody seems to know what causes it - perhaps it's a bug in iTunes.

[stustaff]

Originally Posted by HarryT

As I said in a previous post, excessively long backup times are a well-known issue on the iPad, as a Google search will reveal. Nobody seems to know what causes it - perhaps it's a bug in iTunes.

oh I know but it ISNT creating duplicate copies of all the files on the iPad every time you do a backup.
Like you say it just seems more like a poor piece of software on PC!

if it were doing a FULL backup it could take hours to do a full backup of 60GB

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by stustaff

if it were doing a FULL backup it could take hours to do a full backup of 60GB

I discovered that when I did an OS 2 to OS 3 upgrade on my 32GB iPod Touch - that did indeed do a full backup and restore and took many hours .

[tyche]

I have no idea what it is backing up or doing. Right now I have about 5GB of stuff on it, the backup folder on iTunes is 1.26GB. Whenever I add a bunch of files, backup times take very long. Once everything is static, the backup takes a min at most.

Looking at some of my long backup times
5:03pm to 6:32pm
5:28pm to 7:20pm

All I know is there is nothing on my iPad I need a backup for.

[stustaff]

Originally Posted by tyche

I have no idea what it is backing up or doing. Right now I have about 5GB of stuff on it, the backup folder on iTunes is 1.26GB. Whenever I add a bunch of files, backup times take very long. Once everything is static, the backup takes a min at most.

Looking at some of my long backup times
5:03pm to 6:32pm
5:28pm to 7:20pm

All I know is there is nothing on my iPad I need a backup for.

Wow that's crazy long as I said earlier mine was under 2 min then the next one was like 15 seconds.

Looks like you need to buy a Mac

[Bluebaize]

I've read in other places that the backups and syncs can be affected by the USB cable used. Don't know how true this is as I only use the one that came with the iPad.

Apparently some people are using their iPhone or iTouch cables as they are already plugged in the computer and thinking they are the same (is it? I thought they were, at least looking at it anyway).

People have commented that using the actual lead that came with the iPad makes their backup and syncs much quicker.

[stustaff]

Originally Posted by Bluebaize

I've read in other places that the backups and syncs can be affected by the USB cable used. Don't know how true this is as I only use the one that came with the iPad.

Apparently some people are using their iPhone or iTouch cables as they are already plugged in the computer and thinking they are the same (is it? I thought they were, at least looking at it anyway).

People have commented that using the actual lead that came with the iPad makes their backup and syncs much quicker.

they are identical cables so this will make no differentce, I imagine its coming from the fact that if you use the iPad PLUG and cable it charges MUCH quicker, but for data transfer they are bot the same.

[HarryT]

My iPad has now gone back to doing fast backups (about 2 minutes). I'll keep an eye on it and see if it keeps on "behaving".

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by stustaff

It only backs up the actual app not the files, they are already on your computer and it just adds their location to the backup data so in future it knows where to get them from.

Have you actually tested that?
If you wipe your ipad and restore from backup, do your comics come back?

It only backs up new materials, I have 6gb of comics in cloud reader and comic zeal and books etc and my backup takes exactly 1 minute 42 seconds(I know I said 30 secs earlier but I just timed it)

And when you then delete the comics from your PC?

Isn't it simpler to say that the iTunes backup only backups up apps and settings, not data?