wsucoug95

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

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Q: iTunes asking for backup password???

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  • by stefald70,

    stefald70 stefald70 Dec 19, 2011 3:02 PM in response to wsucoug95
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    Dec 19, 2011 3:02 PM in response to wsucoug95

    Hi everyone, we had the exact same problem as hundreds of others. During the iOS update (that I'd been putting off as I had a funny feeling about it deep down in my bones) iTunes requested a total restore of the iphone, something it has never done before. To restore from the back-up, it requested a mystery password (we tried everything, I was gonna go with "Jesus H Christ" before I finally read a comment that worked). I disconnected the iphone, reconnected it and a new window opened with three options: cancel, restore from backup or restore as a new phone. I clicked on restore from back-up and again it requested the mystery password (the secret of life?). I tried the same ones again, and the numbers (0000, 1234, etc.) all to no avail. I clicked "cancel" and the backup began automatically. It seems to be progressing as normal, although obviously it's taking its time as it's uploading every app we have on itunes, all 199 of them. We're hoping we haven't lost any pics or videos of our daughter - then I really will be mad.

  • by stefald70,

    stefald70 stefald70 Dec 19, 2011 11:50 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 19, 2011 11:50 PM in response to wsucoug95

    Morning update - this isn't working. It appears to restore from the backup but when I disconnect the phone is still empty and still asking me to connect to itunes. Now I just tried ticking/checking the encrypt box and putting in a new password. Didn't work and I can't uncheck/untick it now.

    This is a disaster. Can anyone help????

  • by binomial_ermine,

    binomial_ermine binomial_ermine Dec 27, 2011 10:20 AM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 27, 2011 10:20 AM in response to wsucoug95

    Just ran into the same issue.  Found that i was my itunes account pasword without the numbers. Hope that helps someone.

     

     


  • by swish23,

    swish23 swish23 Dec 29, 2011 10:58 PM in response to wsucoug95
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    Dec 29, 2011 10:58 PM in response to wsucoug95

    ugh! if i had known about all this, i never would have upgraded!  however, after only about 45 minutes of inputting the only password i have ever used for Itunes, in addition to all the helpful hints (0000, etc), i found out how to circumvent this problem. if you go to iforgot.apple.com,you can reset your password for itunes by either answering security questions or having apple email you instructions for re-setting your password. i chose the email option, followed the commands to reset my password, then went and put in the new password in Itunes, and voila! it worked.

     

    how annoying, apple!

  • by Rick Mesta,

    Rick Mesta Rick Mesta Jan 4, 2012 1:02 PM in response to wsucoug95
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    Jan 4, 2012 1:02 PM in response to wsucoug95

    tried all the tricks and nothing worked.  just got off the phone with apple, and all they could say was "Sorry".  Lost 500+ pics of my kids .

  • by vodaholic,

    vodaholic vodaholic Jan 5, 2012 1:46 AM in response to Rick Mesta
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 5, 2012 1:46 AM in response to Rick Mesta

    Seriuosly mate' give this a try. I posted it on some other forums and some people have used it as a last resort but it works:

     

    )

     

    Don't know if this helps but I've tried loads of solutions and even with a custom password list the elcomsoft couldn't find any results. Some people have noted that it uses a random password frm passwords you've stored on your device so try your facebook password, email account, lock code etc. None worked for me.

     

    After a few days of scouring forums I had to do it a convoluted way in the end.

     

    I installed iFunbox and copied the keychain-2.db file to my PC after making a backup of it in the same directory on the iPhone (var/keychains)

     

    I then deleted the file from my iPhone and reconnected it to iTunes. This meant all passwords had been deleted (albeit temporarily from my iPhone). I then selected the encrypted backup option again and started a backup then cancelled it which created a new keychain-2.db file in var/keychains. I then removed the encrypt option. This asked me for a password but it was set to the new password I'd just entered so the tick was then removed.

     

    I then exported and opened the new keychain-2.db file in exported in sqllite browser (do a search and download it, it's free). I then opened my original file in sqllite browser. The reason I did it this way is because for some reason my keychain files displayed a load of gobble-di-gook in sqllite browser so I couldn't determine what was the itunes password. Maybe because I'm running iTunes 10.5 but people have previously stated that the files are shown in plain English but mine weren't.

     

    I then compared the genp tables in sqllite browser until I found the record that had the same set of symbols in the acct column that as in the new keychain-2.db file I'd created as this would be the iTunes password I'd just created. No other records existed in the new keychain file.

     

    I then deleted that record in sqllite browser, saved and imported back into var/keychains using iFunbox.

     

    The encrypted option is no longer ticked and I can make unencrypted backups. I will definitely not be ticking that box again!!!

     

    I know it sounds really long and laborious but if you follow it step by step it isn't as long as you think. I've no previous experience of this and I found all thge info from scouring various forums and piecing it all together to create my own solution. Also, if you're lucky enough to have your keychains file display as plain English in sqllite browser then you can just delete the record that says it is your itunes backup password.

     

    Hope it makes sense. It really does work!

  • by Forde1,

    Forde1 Forde1 Jan 6, 2012 3:44 PM in response to Rick Mesta
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    Jan 6, 2012 3:44 PM in response to Rick Mesta

    Rick I used a password breaker and it worked. You can download it for free and if it can break your password it will tell you the first character and the character count. That wasn't enough for me so I bought the thing for 80 bucks. I feel robbed for having to do it but I have my phone back.

     

    http://www.elcomsoft.com/eppb.html

     

    Try the free version and if it can break your password consider it.

  • by gapflow,

    gapflow gapflow Jan 10, 2012 10:43 PM in response to wsucoug95
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    Jan 10, 2012 10:43 PM in response to wsucoug95

    Same problem.  I got in using a password I'd originally set...BUT...like many others posting here I am 100% certain that I tried that password several times and it got rejected.  Good luck to all those having similar problems.  The responses from the Apple folks indicate a degree of arrogance that appalls me.

     

    So there are two major bugs here:

    1) iTunes tells you that the password is wrong (several times over) when it is in fact correct.  VERY annoying.  I can only assume that the post about the server being busy causing this is correct - poor show.

    2) One cannot just delete a backup and then start again with a new backup and new password (or no password).  I can think of no good reason on this earth for that.  Apple people, please tell me if you have one.  I get the one way encoding stuff, but many people just want to start backing up again and don't need to restore the existing backup.  Not being able to do so is just ********.

     

    I had a short love affair with Apple when I got my iMac and again with the iPad, but recently I have frankly become very disillusioned with Apple.  I paid the extra money so that things would just work.  But recently my experience has been that they often don't (my experience upgrading to Lion was a case in point).  Shame on you Apple.  I will be going back to the PC world when I need new hardware.

     

    Rant over.

  • by KiiKiiGurl22,

    KiiKiiGurl22 KiiKiiGurl22 Jan 13, 2012 9:05 AM in response to wsucoug95
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    Jan 13, 2012 9:05 AM in response to wsucoug95

    I tried every password I can think of and it none of them worked, then I just kept entering my Itune's Store Password over and over again and it finally worked.

  • by Immo Huneke,

    Immo Huneke Immo Huneke Jan 25, 2012 4:05 AM in response to wsucoug95
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    Jan 25, 2012 4:05 AM in response to wsucoug95

    Many thanks to the correspondent who suggested trying the iPhone screen unlock code. That was the one which worked for me, after an hour of utter frustration trying every password or PIN code I could remember using on my Windows PC.

  • by kingring,

    kingring kingring Jan 26, 2012 5:07 AM in response to Forde1
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    Jan 26, 2012 5:07 AM in response to Forde1

    Thanks for your useful advice Forde. I used the elcomsoft software  on my wife's iphone after we updated to IOS5 and got 2 of the 3 digits used in the encryption.

    Then I simply wnt through the rest of the numbers until I got the phone to restore. The annoying thing is that the password was certainly not set by my wife. We would never have guessed it.

     

    Apple need to get this mess sorted!!

     

    Thanks again

  • by Khan_Ahsanullah2754,

    Khan_Ahsanullah2754 Khan_Ahsanullah2754 Jan 27, 2012 5:23 AM in response to stefald70
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 27, 2012 5:23 AM in response to stefald70

    Hello, same here too i try all my password that i ever used with itunes atlost one worked the one that worked its the first password that i used in 2008 i signup for itunes to u know how its use to ask for your phone number login id to finish the activaton process... thats pain in --- but i guess thats how it works....

     

    thanks

  • by Emon87,

    Emon87 Emon87 Jan 30, 2012 12:57 AM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 30, 2012 12:57 AM in response to wsucoug95

    I just made the upper case letter lower case in my apple password and it worked, it only took five hours of random button pushing

  • by prix79,

    prix79 prix79 Jan 31, 2012 3:01 AM in response to Emon87
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 31, 2012 3:01 AM in response to Emon87

    Sorry for my english.

    i too have had the same problem.

    when restoring the previous backup was asking me the password. i don't remeber ever having entered the password.

    i try everithhing!

    at the end i realized that my iphone had my IdApple, but itunes had another Id apple, the Id of my brother (we share the pc).

    then: itunes - store - shows my account and i simply replace the account with my account (my id apple) and my password and i m able to do the restore from backup.

    i hope to be useful to some of you!

  • by DisApled,

    DisApled DisApled Feb 6, 2012 5:02 AM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 6, 2012 5:02 AM in response to wsucoug95

    This post may not be helpful to anyone but just to vent my frustration with iphone, so someone like me won't feel they are alone. I had the same problem of itune asking for a password to restore the phone. The worse -- that phone was my wife's. She now blames me for losing all those photos and msgs and contacts. You know how it feels. Apple really let me down, after putting so much trust in their products.

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