I went looking for a pdf in iBooks after upgrading to IOS5. But of all the dozens of pdfs I had in my library, only the two most recent (saved two weeks ago, well before the upgrade) were left.

Looked in iTunes to try to reload from my backup but only the same two recently saved saved pdfs are there.

Suggestions? Am I stuffed?

V frustrated.

I assume that you made the regular mistake, every one is doing. You synced the iBook".
Never ever mark the sync on anything except Applications.
Now you are stating that you have on the iTunes, only two recent pdfs.
Guess what. as soon as you probably synced the iPad with iTunes. The iTunes earased all you other PDF files, leaving only the ones it has.

PDF - you can move back and forth between computer and iPAD - No need to sync. You have full control.
( You see my signature down below ????

I will say this is pretty unintuitive. You "buy" Ibooks from the app store so one assumes it syncs the same. I synced Goodreader and Kindle apps but my content is there. I just found all my manuals and PDFs are gone from Ibooks. Luckily they are in Dropbox and some in Goodreader. I've just found i liked to read pdfs in Ibooks but I may just abandon it. I don't ever buy books there.

iBooks purchased from the iBook Store sync fine. Bedsides, you can always download them again.

PDF books are more trouble. In general, if you add a PDF book to iTunes and then sync then it will sync back to the iPad; however if you add the PDF book on the iPad, say by email or another app, then it does not sync back to iTunes. Even using Transfer Purchases will not copy them to iTunes.

Transfer Purchases usually works with ePubs usually work, but I've heard of them occasionally doing this as well.

Since books in the iBooks app are not part of the backup, if they never get into the iTunes library then you have no backup. Since you essentially wiped the iPad clean to update, there was nothing to restore.

Peled is right that iTunes will often decide that it's copies are the only copies. This is always true when you first turn on syncing. When that happens it will completely replace your iBooks library with what it has, erasing everything else. Actually, this is typical behavior of all media syncing. It just doesn't come into play with most other stuff because you can't add media to the iPod/Music, or Videos app except through the iTunes Store or iTunes on the computer.

So, if you choose to use iTunes to backup your books, always add them to iTunes, then sync back to the iPad. Or do as Peled said, and never turn on Book syncing at all. If you do that, make sure you have copies of the books elsewhere on your computer. If something is important, you should never have a mobile device as your only copy. Of course that's true with any computer, but more so with mobile.

Originally Posted by grdn19

I went looking for a pdf in iBooks after upgrading to IOS5. But of all the dozens of pdfs I had in my library, only the two most recent (saved two weeks ago, well before the upgrade) were left.

Looked in iTunes to try to reload from my backup but only the same two recently saved saved pdfs are there.

Suggestions? Am I stuffed?

V frustrated.

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The PDFs I lost were documents I'd loaded from the net: recipes, reports, graphs etc -- lots of research materials. No PDF books, no books bought through iTunes or anywhere else. Most of it was material I'd opened to read on the iPad and used iBooks to view when asked which app I wanted to use to open it ("Open with ...") All then sat conveniently on the iBooks shelved and could access them there.

When I started the IOS5 upgrade an iTunes message said to back up the iPad's contents first. So I did. Doesn't seem to have helped.

I've backed up and synced the iPad's content countless times and the PDFs did not disappear (whether I've synced to iBooks or not -- have never noticed that option).

I might have done something Wong here but I think Apple has not been clear and created a huge problem for people dong the upgrade.

Not happy, I lost a lot of stuff I'll never be able to find again.

Originally Posted by grdn19

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When I started the IOS5 upgrade an iTunes message said to back up the iPad's contents first. So I did. Doesn't seem to have helped.
I might have done something Wong here but I think Apple has not been clear and created a huge problem for people dong the upgrade.
Not happy, I lost a lot of stuff I'll never be able to find again.

Well what can I say. iTunes, is a piece of REAL JUNK. You must avoid it at all costs.
Meaning that even pictures you must transfer with an external program like "iPAD - iMacsoft iPad to PC Transfer".

I use the iTunes just once every 3 month to sync the applications.
I mean I have a JB ipad so I use the "Transfer Purchased from iPAd to PC... ( all my apps are downloaded from my iPAD)

Originally Posted by peled

Well what can I say. iTunes, is a piece of REAL JUNK. You must avoid it at all costs.
Meaning that even pictures you must transfer with an external program like "iPAD - iMacsoft iPad to PC Transfer".

I use the iTunes just once every 3 month to sync the applications.
I mean I have a JB ipad so I use the "Transfer Purchased from iPAd to PC... ( all my apps are downloaded from my iPAD)

I have no problems with iTunes, never have had, even after many years of using it across multiple Apple devices.


The Archangel

Originally Posted by Gabriel1

I have no problems with iTunes, never have had, even after many years of using it across multiple Apple devices.


The Archangel

If you are using something that doesn't fail, it is not a sign that it is good, or useful.
The iTunes has a use mainly for Apple - Protecting it's licensed Software and stuff, Not for the user.
If say, I could move pictures, PDFs,Songs and applications to and from my PC to the iPAD,
with a simple application that will have 2 windows side by side, draging files from one side to the
other - It may be much much better.
I am glad that there are already such programs, that cover part of the iTunes tasks.

and by the way, I hear that iOS-5 is already releasing the grip of iTunes in every move you do. I wander why only now .

Got me going there guys. I had to look in iBooks quickly to check my PDFs and epubs were still there. Phew!!! I was relieved!😃

Sent from my iPhone using iPF

Due to getting a replacement iPad two weeks ago and then getting iOS 5 this week I have lost my PDFs twice.

Until today, I could not find a discussion about this.

It seems to me that the actual files are still in place, but the iBook indexing has been lost. If this is the case, it would be nice if these files could be recovered by a re-index of the collection.

Perhaps there is a Safari cache we could use to restore these lost PDFs?

I am glad to see I am not alone in having this problem.

Obviously, Apple could change this behavior very easily.