"Error 3173 iPhone could not be restored"

I got the same error with my iPod touch and my iPad 2.

this happened to my friend and I too, eventually my friend's iphone finished the upgrade but mine is still waiting...it might be because too many people are downloading it all at the same time possibly.

well mine did the same thing... but im stuck in recovery mode a.k.a i dont have access to use my phone... nvg apple

Same problem with my 3GS, what to do?

I've got the same problem.

iPhone 4 GSM from 4.2.2

Same problem with my ipod 4g and iphone 4 both 4.3.5

I got the same message too. I tried the following and it worked like a charm.

1. Turn off the iphone 4 and then restarted it

2. Restart the computer and try the update

I had the same issue. I am running Windows 7, and disabling the firewalls did it for me.

Mine did the same thing, but i found a solution...1) unplug the device from laptop 2) power cycle the device 3) plug it back 4) try again...

It worked for me

The solution could be

1. Choose and downlaod correct version of iOS 5 for your device

4. In itunes hold and press restore button

5. Select downloaded ios version

It should install it.

iPhone 3GS

http://appldnld.apple.com/iPhone4/041-8356.20111012.SQRDT/iPhone2,1_5.0_9A334_Re store.ipsw

iPhone 4 GSM

http://appldnld.apple.com/iPhone4/041-8358.20111012.FFc34/iPhone3,1_5.0_9A334_Re store.ipsw

iPhone 4 CDMA

http://appldnld.apple.com/iPhone4/041-9743.20111012.vjhfp/iPhone3,3_5.0_9A334_Re store.ipsw

iPad

http://appldnld.apple.com/iPhone4/041-8357.20111012.DTOrM/iPad1,1_5.0_9A334_Rest ore.ipsw

iPad 2

http://appldnld.apple.com/iPhone4/041-9618.20111012.Zxb22/iPad2,1_5.0_9A334_Rest ore.ipsw

iPad 2,2

http://appldnld.apple.com/iPhone4/041-9619.20111012.y34Nx/iPad2,2_5.0_9A334_Rest ore.ipsw

iPad 2,3

http://appldnld.apple.com/iPhone4/041-9620.20111012.pnB4r/iPad2,3_5.0_9A334_Rest ore.ipsw

iPod touch 3rd gen

http://appldnld.apple.com/iPhone4/061-8360.20111012.New3w/iPod3,1_5.0_9A334_Rest ore.ipsw

iPod touch 4th gen

http://appldnld.apple.com/iPhone4/061-9622.20111012.Evry3/iPod4,1_5.0_9A334_Rest ore.ipsw

I got this on my iPad2. When I updated iTunes, I skipped the reboot of my Windows computer and then tried updating the iPad. It failed. But once I restarted my computer, the iPad updated successfully. Hope this helps.

I've been getting errors all day, from 3004 to 3194, and several in between... - my problem went a step further though, when it asked to Upgrade to iOS 5, I agreed, and it said was backing up my phone as usual, but then it had an "error" - and then it Said it couldn't back up ((-50)) and asked if I wanted to continue. I pressed cancel, and then checked out my phone, which, for some reason, was reset to factory settings. ALL pictures and videos I just shot that day (minutes before I hooked it up to my computer actually) were gone. As was my apps, music, movies, etc... But those are all retrievable, so, no biggie there...

...ANYWAY, after four hours of wondering what to do, scouring the web to see if I can retrieve my media (to no avail...) I did the unthinkable - I called tech support. The woman was trying to be helpful and patient, but nothing came of it. Then, I was transferred to a "leader" - who was trying his best too, but he kept alluding to the idea that it was my "PC's" fault...either a firewall, or a anti-virus program ... Or the USB port I was using... Nothing tangible though... So he had me do a hard reset... Which then put my phone into recovery mode - the first logo you see when you get an iDevice (the picture of the USB connecting to the iTunes logo) - and we weren't able to get it to do anything after that... So, after about 45 minutes with him, I just graciously opted out of any other ideas and took my problem to the street... Or, google, as it were, and found that if your phone is in constant recovery mode, then download an app called tiny umbrella .... Totally 3rd party, but after just four simple clicks - my phone was out of recovery and completely usable again. I tried the update one more time, but still nothing, same error codes, same waste of time...

But, that's my story of the day... Hope it helped, or if anything, hope it entertained :)

Just hard reset your iPhone (Home + Power buttons for 10 seconds), and then, re-start the upgrade process with the already downloaded version 5.0.

This solved the problem for me.

the last error I see was the above, my phone has been restarting over and over now for the past hour! really not happy in the slightest! right now im really not sure what to do, to stop my phone constantly restarting!