Please help, my iphone 3GS crashed when I tried to update it to OS 4.0.1

I've had exactly the same problem - I tried to update it to OS 4.0.1 and ever since I can't get the phone out of recovery mode.

I've read the forums for a few hours but the difference for me is that my progress bar only goes a tiny way up about 20% or so then sticks and then I get error message 14 instead of error message 9 most others seem to have.

Any advice would be most appreciated but I too am not an expert so please keep any explanations simple enough for an idiot like me to understand.

I'm having the same problem when trying to update to 4.0.1.

I've attempted to restore it 4 times now.

Will get 2/3rds of the way through the 'restoring iphone software' progress bar in itunes and yeah, about 20% of the way through the the progress bar on the actual phone.

No error messages though, I usually just wait a couple of hours once it's frozen before resetting the phone and trying from scratch again (on the last attempt i left it for 10 hours over night and it was still frozen)

This is unbelieveably frustrating, i just need my phone back.

I'm having the same problem.
Is iOS 4.0.1 faulty when you try to install it on a 3GS device?
What I'd like to do is download the previous version of iOS4 and install that again, but I have no idea how to do it.
Any ideas?

Paul

Thanks for your reply Lawrence, but it didn't help at all. In fact, I'd already wasted my time wading through all that.

And now for what fixed it for me...

There's a thread in the iPhone 4 forum about it. Some people have found success by using a 3rd party app called RecBoot which is available for Mac or Windows. After mucking about with that for ages (getting the right version and installing other stuff it needs) nothing was any different - the installation still hung after a short time.

The real problem was that the download of OS 4.0.1 was corrupt. I deleted it, plugged in my iPhone again and it downloaded it again correctly. I then held my breath and waited for it all to restore 🙂

Here's some detail referenced from the iPhone 4 forum:
http://chrisgrannell.co.uk/2010/07/16/iphone-4-0-1-brick-solution/

Paul

I was able to update to 4.0.1 today, while watching some MLB baseball, I noticed how hot my iPhone 3GS got.. I'm not liking that, it never got this hot before. I went to the multitask and closed all the running apps.

Personally, I don't think it was a good idea to move to 4.0.1, if you are having problems with upgrading to 4.0.1, I would hold off until another update. I found it a bit weird for apple to push a minor update to adjust a signal strength formula and it be 350mb patch. I think there is more going on that apple isn't telling us.

In that case, billyas1, you might need to look at the Apple support article that Lawrence told us about. There's a lot of stuff in there, including "blame it on 3rd party software on your PC" and "blame it on your PC hardware", telling you to try a different USB port, use a hub, don't use a hub, edit the registry, turn off your firewall etc.

Or, you could try again deleting the iOS 4.0.1 file. After all, if it's corrupted the file on download once (and it did for me) it might do it again. I know it's not quick trying it again, but I think that's what I would do.

Paul

same issue on every update apple has sent down. i have to take my phone to the apple store and they restore it. major pain in the ____. how does one delete the 4.0.1 update?

If this happens with every update there is a problem with your PC. Either a virus/worm, an overenthusiastic antivirus or firewall, out of date USB drivers, other USB devices that are not playing nice with the bus; a lot of possibilities. If you know the error code you can check it out here: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1275

Some basics, however; Only use a USB 2.0 port directly on the computer not a hub (unless the hub has its own power supply plugged into the wall). If you have ports on both the front and back use a port on the back (front ports are usually an internal unpowered hub). Check your computer manufacturer's web site for a USB driver update. Temporarily disable your firewall and antivirus when updating. Disconnect other power-using USB devices (keyboard and mouse are not power-using; disk drives are).

Am currently downloading 4.0.1 for the third time in the hope that it will uncorrupt itself.

I won't be able to make it into an apple store until Monday, which, if this doesn't work means no phone until then. This is beyond frustrating.

Normally if it is corrupted the most likely cause is your antivirus.

I'm not running any anti-virus software.

Any other ideas?

OK please try this before you spend hours researching:

IF YOU HAVE Zone Alarm firewall OR any firewalls

TURN THIS OFF FIRST

I had the same issue tried 4 times to restore no success
turned off the Zonealarm firewall and bingo it worked

see how you go as its a proccess of elimination and this is a easy one to eliminate