calibre, start content server, syncing iPad

[vonCZ]

I've put about 3.5 gigs of books on my iPad using Calibre's wireless "start content server" method and Stanza's "get books" feature. Bookwise, from the get-go, I've happily circumvented iTunes...

...or so I thought.


Now I want to connect my iPad to my computer to manage software on the iPad: download an app, delete a game, etc. To do so, I must "sync" the apps between my iPad and the computer/iTunes. Doing so, however, brings up the following message:

Backing up "myPad"

and brings up a progress bar which, if left running, would take at least an hour to finish. Also, when I look down at the bottom of iTunes I see the following:

apps: 4.27 GB
Books: 56 kB
other: 540 mB
Free: 54 GB

In fact, I've just a few tiny apps on the computer; the bulk of that 4.27 is almost surely Stanza, because the 3.5 gigs of books I've uploaded are most likely dumped into a Stanza folder and considered "apps" and not "books". Fine, no problem, but my question: do I really have to back this all up? I mean, I already have a Calibre folder with all my books nicely arranged; do I have to have a 2nd copy of this in an iTunes folder somewhere? Or is there a way around this?

[itimpi]

No - I am afraid that as far as I know if you are going to use iTunes then you cannot tell it not to backup the Stanza data. iTunes simply backs up the data for every installed application so that it can later restore the data if required. However once you have let it do the large initial backup of Stanza data later backups should only back up changes.

Having said that if you untick an application in the Devices app tab and then say no to the prompt about uninstalling the application I am not sure what happens. If you want you could experiement.

[vonCZ]

Thanks; i guess I'll just hafta go ahead and let it back-up, then.

[adrian1944]

For windows users

I found a programme called Back Off. This lets the Ipad and Iphone sync on connection but I can choose when to back up the devices