wsucoug95
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Q: iTunes asking for backup password???

I am upgrading my iphone 4 to iOS 5. I backed up my phone (via iTunes 10.5) and downloaded and installed iOS 5. I am now going through the setup process and it is at the "Restore from iTunes Backup" step. I connect to iTunes and iTunes is prompting me for a password to "unlock your iPhone backup file." No I did not encrypt the iPhone backup, nor is it or was it checked in iTunes. I have tried my iTunes password, my 4 digit unlock code for the iPhone, and several other passwords. When I did the backup an hour ago I was not asked for a password. I am at a loss as to what it is.

iPhone 4

Posted on Oct 12, 2011 1:11 PM

by wsucoug95,Solvedanswer
wsucoug95 wsucoug95
Level 1 (0 points)
A:

Well I finally got through with the correct password. For some reason it was the original iTunes password I had setup when I first got the iPhone 4 and iTunes 17 months ago. I had changed that password soon after creating it and have since changed it several times. Somehow it popped into my head and after trying hundreds (no I'm not kidding) of passwords, success!

 

It is important to point out:

 

  1. When I have performed previous upgrades to the iOS I have never been prompted for a password when restoring the data.
  2. I have never checked the box in iTunes to encrypt the iPhone backup.
  3. I still have no idea what made iTunes go back to an ancient password.

 

Good luck to all if you have to go through this because this has not been a fun few days.

 

Let me add a suggestion that I have come up with for storing passwords where you can access them from anywhere. Setup a Yahoo or Hotmail account with all fake information (Name, address, b-day, etc.) with a “handle/name/email address” that has nothing to do with you but you can recall. In other words, you are setting up an anonymous email account. In this email account, create an email to the same account and put your passwords in it but do not include the accounts/websites they are for. You could include hints (that only you could recognize/decipher) that would tell you which accounts/websites went with which passwords.

 

This will just be a list of passwords so at least you have a master list somewhere and not stored on your computer(s)/drive(s). Just an idea I wanted to share.

Posted on Oct 14, 2011 12:21 PM

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wsucoug95

Q: iTunes asking for backup password???

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  • by scottfromferndale,

    scottfromferndale scottfromferndale Oct 12, 2011 3:40 PM in response to wsucoug95
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    Oct 12, 2011 3:40 PM in response to wsucoug95

    I've got the same problem. I don't recall every setting up a password on my backups.

    Plus, when I look back in time machine, the backups folder was not there earlier this morning.

    Now there is a backup folder, so it must be the backup it did prior to wiping the phone during the upgrade.

  • by mschumi,

    mschumi mschumi Oct 12, 2011 4:31 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 12, 2011 4:31 PM in response to wsucoug95

    it is your itunes account password

  • by kennymix,

    kennymix kennymix Oct 12, 2011 4:36 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Oct 12, 2011 4:36 PM in response to wsucoug95

    If you have access to a PC there is sofware by elcomsoft called phone password breaker which will find the password on the backup

  • by scottfromferndale,

    scottfromferndale scottfromferndale Oct 12, 2011 4:40 PM in response to mschumi
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 12, 2011 4:40 PM in response to mschumi

    I tried that and every other password I can think of but no go

  • by wolve3,

    wolve3 wolve3 Oct 12, 2011 7:19 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 12, 2011 7:19 PM in response to wsucoug95

    I have the exact same problem! Tried every likely password I could think of (Apple account one, computer password, etc) and none of them worked. I have an appointment at genuis bar at local Apple Store, but I have doubts they can even help with this issue.

  • by denis_g,

    denis_g denis_g Oct 12, 2011 7:39 PM in response to wolve3
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 12, 2011 7:39 PM in response to wolve3

    Be carefull of cap/low caps (that was my mistake).

     

    I just completed a restore and am now getting an error mesage....

  • by scottfromferndale,

    scottfromferndale scottfromferndale Oct 12, 2011 8:10 PM in response to denis_g
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 12, 2011 8:10 PM in response to denis_g

    I copy and pasted my password in to me.com which worked, and the into itunes restore password prompt, and it failed.

  • by calexn,

    calexn calexn Oct 12, 2011 9:03 PM in response to scottfromferndale
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 12, 2011 9:03 PM in response to scottfromferndale

    same problem here, updated to ios5, never encrypted my backups, tried all password, screenlock passcode, none work. Very annoying as basically historical data msgs contacts are now gone.

     

    Is there some standard password itunes set to the backups??

  • by bjorgvin I,

    bjorgvin I bjorgvin I Oct 12, 2011 9:12 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 12, 2011 9:12 PM in response to wsucoug95

    i have the same problem here.. I didn´t set any password for backup.

    lost photos ,text msg and all app data.

  • by wolve3,

    wolve3 wolve3 Oct 12, 2011 9:33 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 12, 2011 9:33 PM in response to wsucoug95

    Well I ended up going to Apple Store and seeking help from the geniuses... no help there.

     

    I finally decided to try using a password cracker and it didn;t take long for it to find the password to the backup file. Wanna guess what it was? Try "1234". Yeah... that's what worked on mine.

     

    Even with the password, looks like my backup file was corrupted some how. None of the music, videos or apps were restored. *sigh*

  • by rsgl,

    rsgl rsgl Oct 12, 2011 9:58 PM in response to mschumi
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 12, 2011 9:58 PM in response to mschumi

    That's not working for me.  I did enable encryption, I do remember the password, and it isn't working.  Nor are any other passwords I've ever used.  Looks like this update is not the smoothest.

  • by wolve3,

    wolve3 wolve3 Oct 12, 2011 10:04 PM in response to rsgl
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 12, 2011 10:04 PM in response to rsgl

    Well if you specified a password and that one doesn't work, I don't see why "1234" would instead.

     

    BTW, after syncing over my apps, looks like app data was restored afterall. So things didn't end up too badly for me. Just a lot of wasted time.

  • by picuda,

    picuda picuda Oct 12, 2011 10:10 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 12, 2011 10:10 PM in response to wsucoug95

    the same problem

    How Can I know a password that I never set before?

  • by glinedesign,

    glinedesign glinedesign Oct 12, 2011 10:25 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 12, 2011 10:25 PM in response to wsucoug95

    I'm having the same issue on a PC here.  But I think I may have solved it.

     

    Like most here, I never set a password for my backups previously, so this caught me really off-guard.  Also ****** me off b/c I'm going on a trip tomorrow morning and wanted my phone fully updated and functioning before I left.  I tried my current Itunes password, didn't work, I tried my four-digit code I use as a locking code for the phone.  I tried 1234 mentioned above, none work.

     

    However, on a whim, I then took the # out of my itunes password (a p/w that, on its own, may have also been a previous itunes account password for me) and tried that and it worked.  The restore is currently in progress so we'll see how it goes from here.

     

    So a suggestion, try all your previous itunes account passwords.  And if your current one has a pound sign (or any other special characters), take it out and try that. 

     

    Good luck.

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