2.2 firmware update failed

I'm having the problem with Windows Vista...

I run iTunes on a 64-bit XP machine, which is technically a no-no, but I use a workaround. If you also are running this config, here's my method of updating:

Whenever there is a new update...

01) bust out that old 32-bit XP machine. update iTunes. disable syncing. plug in your phone. don't sync it. (if this is first time you've plugged it in to this PC, say its a new iPhone but dont do anything with it. when it says there's an update, download ONLY but don't install.

02) unplug the phone and plug it into your 64-bit machine. perform a full backup.
Initiate the update which results in the phone going into restore mode. Unplug the phone.

03) plug it into the XP 32-bit machine. Put the phone into DFU mode and iTunes will detect it and tell you to restore. Click OK and then restore. When it's done it will ask you if you want to restore the data and settings or import it as a new iPhone. just unplug it.

04) plug it back into your 64-bit machine and it will ask you to restore it or import as a new iPhone. choose to restore it from last backup. this might take a long time, but after that you're done.

the only weird thing is sometimes after step 4 iTunes will go back to that same screen and ask you to import is as a new iPhone or restore it. just go ahead and say import as new, but everything will work fine.

hope this helps anyone who has chosen to use iTunes/iPhone on an XP 64-bit machine and has trouble with updates. I have used this method for every update since 2.0 and it works everytime. it's a pain, but it's better than going to an apple store (or as i call it "****").

--
mint

p.s. LOL @

dan_nhctc wrote:
Hold on to your seats...
I love the device, it really is an amazing product. But this upgrade process
is killing me.

feel yer pain dewd.

oh yes i forgot to mention, because it's fairly obvious, but you'll need to also Sync the phone after the restore... this will get your apps back. you'll also need to copy your music/movies back on since the restore wipes that. again, pain in the a** but better than genius bar.

--
mint

+"Step three: Change your iPhone voicemail to say something to the effect of, "Hi you have reached ____. I will be without phone service for the next six to seven days while upgrading my iPhone. During this time, I am available by snail mail and smoke signals only."+

LOL! I've had my iPhone only a few months; I ran an upgrade on it the second day I had it and that sucker froze up solid like an arctic iceberg. Had to do a restore (and if you have to do a restore, when your phone is brand new is probably a good time!) ..so now I'm leary of ALL upgrades and I usually check with the masses on the Apple forum first. Since I'm getting ready to leave town for a week I think I'll wait on this one...

Get a Mac is not much help. I have an old G4 Mirror Door that is now 6 years old. It is still going strong and does the things I need it to do. But an iPhone update is a fussy process with this machine.

To get this machine to do a iPhone software update, I must prune off all of the nonessential USB devices. No hubs, no printers, just the keyboard, mouse, and iPhone.

There does appear to be a bug in iTunes. The iTunes progress bar will stick during the update. The one on the phone is live. The transfer goes fine but iTunes gets befuddled. Time to try it on the mainboard port. Both progress bars move.

I'd suggest pruning off all the external devices not essential to iPhone update and having another go using a motherboard USB port. This has worked for me twice. Once the firmware is running, you can sync from your usual port. ITunes can be funky about hubs and stuff. I think it throws the timing off just a bit.

This old beast has USB 1.1 on the mainboard. I use a Sonnet USB 2 + FW interface to do the syncing.

Those of you with PPC Macs do be careful to buy USB/FW boards from one of the Mac specialists. Intel style boards don't always behave correctly in PPC machines. I had this problem with an Adaptec FW/USB2 board. Once the OS was up, it appeared to be happy but wouldn't see the iPod at connection. It lives on happily in a Frankenstein Linux machine.

As one of the countless users who have had no problems with the update (and therefore not well represented in forums like this) I have to wonder - on what basis do you make the statement that "...they can't get the iPhones firmware and iTunes to work properly..."?

An unsuspecting reader coming here for good advice and reliable information might get the impression that you have some information about Apple that the rest of us don't. Do you?

I think it wants you to type in your 4 digit passcode on iPhone, not on the computer.

run iTunes on a 64-bit XP machine, which is technically a no-no,

Whoa!!

Where did you get that idea? 32bit Apps work seamlessly on 64bit windows platforms.

I've used iTunes EXCLUSIVELY on 64bit platforms without any of these problems you mention. My phone has never seen a 32bit platform - ever.

on what basis do you make the statement that "...they can't get the iPhones firmware and iTunes to work properly..."?

Why on the basis of this forum, obviously.

Can you possibly consider this whole update process to be working properly when EACH AND EVERY update is followed by a huge rash of people posting problems and stories of dead phones?

Why should it be this way? Why should installing new software brick so many phones? What possible excuse for this can there be?

The sad truth is EVERY upgrade is a total crapshoot. Every time you apply an update from apple you run the risk of bricking your phone. Every time. If you got away with it before, consider your self lucky.

I've had successful updates 4 out of 5 times. That 5th time required a new phone from the Genius bar. 20% failure rate.

So don't be too over confident, you turn is coming.

@oldschoolgeek

no prob! glad i could help. most likely, the "geniusi" wouldn't know what to do other than to restore your iphone anyway, which could cause even more problems in the long run since they would restore it from their macs when you've got a pc at home. hmmm... not a good idea. lol.

thanks for the simplification of the method btw. i was trying to think of a way to shorten the steps without leaving the "dummies" in the blind. =]

as much as possible, don't go the apple store to get it updated as all they have are macs and you're running a pc at home. not only that, you're authorizing another computer to interface with your phone and that could cause you problems later on as well.

it's easier to tell where you got an std from when you only have one $ex partner. =]

there are many threads in these forums that help deal with the crappy downloads. try searching for them and you'll find some direct download links and such.

hope that helps... and good luck.

In the usual case you are right, however in this case the reason is shrouded in Apple secrecy. No, iTunes 32-bit installed on a Windows XP 64-bit machine will not support an iPhone (although of course everything else works fine). This is because the 32-bit iPhone driver won't recognize the iPhone when it is plugged in. You need a 64-bit driver which only comes with the 64-bit iTunes. However, iTunes 64-bit does NOT support Windows XP, only Vista 64-bit... so that's what I meant about "no-no." To install it you need to use a workaround... but once you do everything works fine... until you need to update. That's the reason for my original post.

:]

also, your phone itself is a 32-bit platform...just saying :]

Not germane.

true, sorry...