How to Back Up an iPhone 3.1.2

Accidents happen, which is why a monthly backup of your iPhone's content and settings is essential to preserve your information. The iPhone automatically backs up its media and device settings when connected to iTunes, as iTunes acts as a permanent storage locker for your data. Backups are conveniently located in your iTunes folder on the computer, which are accessible iIn the event of an error that leaves your iPhone unresponsive. Itunes backs up only new information as it is available once the iPhone is initially backed up to reduce data transfer times.

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iPhone USB cable
iTunes 10.1 or later

Instructions

- 1
  
  Plug the dock connector into the iPhone's 30-pin port found on the bottom of the phone, and plug the USB end into an available USB port on your computer. The computer runs iTunes when the iPhone is connected.
- 2
  
  Click the name of the connected device in the side window of iTunes, and click "File" on the iTunes menu.
- 3
  
  Click "Back Up" in the drop-down menu to start the iPhone backup. The status bar at the top of iTunes displays the progression of the backup with an animated bar.
- 4
  
  Click the up arrow next to the device's name in the side window to eject after the back up is complete. Alternately, click "Controls" on the iTunes menu and click "Eject" to safely remove the iPhone from the computer without data loss.
- 5
  
  Remove the dock connector end from the bottom of the iPhone, or leave the cable plugged into the iPhone to charge the device.