Installing 4.0: It has taken 1 hr to backup and not done yet?

Total update time has taken in excess of 5 hours, after downloading the update in about 6 minutes.

Its been 7 hours and mine is still trying to back up. It looks like it has 10% left to go. This is insane. I have to cancel it now because I have to go to work.

My update went off without a hitch. It took about three hours but I'm very happy with the new software. My 3G has not locked consistently for the past few months. I thought maybe just maybe it was a hardware issue ie a drop that broke the button somehow. Anyway the 4.0 update seems to have fixed it. Anyone having similar issues should upgrade. My new iphone4 arrives tomorrow.

The solution is already in some of the posts.

For iphone 3G owners, plug in your phone to your itunes and it should sync automatically. If not, manually click "SYNC". Do not click on update when prompted at first. Syncing now automatically creates a new backup.

When that is done, click on restore. This will restore the phone to factory default with the new IOS 4 update after which your backup will be re synced back into your phone again.

Thoe whole process takes about half an hour to complete.

Credits go to Tuaw for the solution.

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/06/21/ios-4-updating-woes-with-iphone-3g/#continued

We have 10 3G iPhones. Now I have two where updates does not work.

1st was this user and he just did Upgrade in iTunes. backup, install but then the iPhone restarts again and again. And the progress bar appears. It goes maybe 1/10 of the the distance, then it restarts again. Can't put it in DFU or anything. Has been doing this now for maybe 7 hours.

2nd we took another phone and resettet. It came up and we were asked to set up as new or from the backup of the same user as above. We (unfortunately) took the option to use the backup. Now that iPhone behaves the same.

The iPhones actually appears in iTunes before stalling. Can't click though (beach ball of death for iTunes). Can't get it into DFU to reset, it just keeps restarting.

Since it's two iPhones but the same backup, I think there's something in the backup!

Posted this in another thread, but just in case....


I had the same problem attempting to upgrade my 3G to IOS 4. I also got to the backup part and nothing seemed to be happening after waiting for an hour. Here is the solution I found:

with your iPhone connected to iTunes, click upgrade

allow the IOS 4 package to download.

when you get to the backup step and it hangs, click 'stop' in iTunes

sync your iPhone

go back to iTunes and click 'restore'. This will do a clean install of the IOS 4 package that you have already downloaded

sync your iPhone.

The whole process for me took around 15 minutes. I now have IOS 4 and my phone is completely synced with the prior settings, apps, music, photos, etc.

I have no idea why Apple botched this so badly for so many users. It would seem that they are just using an automated script that does the same thing as the above procedure.

I tried about 4 times and 12 hours to do the update and it kept getting hung up on the back up. I simply did a restore, however not all my apps where synced back up. I was planning a wedding using iWedding and all that info over the past 5 months is gone. Oh well my iPhone4 will be here in a month from Apple.

This is what I did and my update took me only 10 minutes to complete.

1. Synch my iPhone 3G
2. On iTunes, I unchecked apps, music, videos, photos etc. and synched it back - what this did was essentially wiped my iPhone off of all content.
3. Install iOS4
4. After activation and all updates, iPhone was updated and was backed up to the empty content state
5. Go back to iTunes and check all apps, music and content back on
6. Synch again

All in all the whole process took me 30 minutes or so...

P.S: One PITA - in the apps tab of iTunes, there is no Select all option...i had to bloody check 50+ apps one by one...please take note of this Apple!!

Message was edited by: ni2mi2

Mine backed up for hours, at least four, and the progress indicator didn't move. Everything is freezing, no wirling indicators, no cylon eye, nothing. As some else said, "this isn't right".

I have the 3g. I've updated to the latest software and downloaded OS 4.0.

After 3 tries yesterday to update and leaving the phone in update mode for 8+ hours overnight...the phone still hasn't gotten out of the backup mode. So, I'm going to try the "restore" method and hope that works.

Gotta call a spade a spade here guys, Apple makes some great products and software but their reputation for customer service is undeserved (and driven largely by their overhyped genius bars).

iPhone 3G: I seem to have found it...please someone test this; works for me!

After waiting too long for backup:
- first time 5 hoursand 5mm on the green bar
- fifth time 11,5hours and 8mm on the green bar
- manually and automatic through update
- stop, reset; evenrything that is described
- cache deletion on iPhone, that is at: steeings-safari
I have found that iTunes did something very snail-like slow to this (vista) folder:
C:\Users\ USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup

With the following in mind I did not try some options (that are described on Internet) on purpose:
- text messages: I do not want to loose them
- music and pictures: I do not want to delete them and upload again
- contacts and agenda synchronising outside iTunes, but I have been stuck with double everything before, so won't touch them

I did the following (I am very 'biting through' :d ):
- the folder above click right mousebutton
- properties
- uncheck 'read-only'
- apply to all files

and suddenly my backup in iTunes began racing, DURING the application to all the files in the folder!!!

Can someone try this and confirm?
With me it works perfectly!!
Seems that this is where everybody is waiting for...

Thinking reverse-engineeringly: it can be very logical that, when iTunes needs to manage the reading rights to the files per file, it takes forever... on my backup there are 18,271 files in the backupfolder....

This is what you do to skip the long backup proceedue.

Connect the phone.
Back up.
Then restore it. (It'll ask you if you want to restore it with the latest update, say yes.)
Then after it's finished, restore from backup.

I did this, and it took me only 20-30 minutes.

P.S. Take my suggestion with a grain of salt. I'm no expert, just sharing my experience. If it breaks, please don't blame me.

PPS. You'll still need to resync, your apps and music and photos. I haven't lost anything. No text msgs, music, video, apps, or photos were lost. I however, had to re-set my wallpaper background.

Message was edited by: djhash

An update. iOS 4 installed on my iPhone 3G 16GB after approximately 3 hours of patience. Just wait it out.

I agree with djhash's solution. I had spent a good part if not most of yesterday evening trying to install the update. The phone was stuck in back up mode. I let it be hooked up all night with no results.
Basically got to work and first thing I did based on some comments was restore. Well in 20 mins the phone was restored to iOS 4.0 and after that resynch and all set.
I agree there was a bug or something went wrong with the update Apply should have posted potential solutions....but the community is a great resource.
Thank you folks!!!
iOS 4 rocks! and iPhone 4 is scheduled to arrive on June 23 so looking forward to that tomorrow.....
Ashish

I done a backup, now clicked the RESTORE button. 20 Minutes in it has OS4 and is doing a restore from earlier sync. I had previously waited 2 blocks of about 2 hours each. 3G 8GB.