"Unknow error (-1)" at restoring iPad 2

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Level 1

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"Unknow error (-1)" at restoring iPad 2

Hi,

my ipad 2 16Gb 3G+Wifi has gone nuts all of the sudden. It asked for a restore on Saturday and when I pressed dismiss on the dialog, I noticed that I can no longer connect to 3G & it keeps automatically restarting.

I tried to restore it this morning. It was difficult to make a backup because the iPad restarted every couple of minutes. I eventually managed to make a backup and then continued with restore. Unfortunately it didn't work: in the middle of Restoring iPad firmware it, an error message pops up saying that iTunes can't restore the iPad and unknown error occured (-1). I tried it several times and I get the same error every time.

I just found out today that the Apple phone technical support is only for the first 90 days. I still have repair and service warranty till April but I was hoping if anyone else had this problem before, I could then somehow fix it myself (if possible at all).

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Kind regards,

Monika

iPad 2, iOS 5.0.1

Posted on Feb 6, 2012 4:02 AM

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Answer 1

Fred-M-

Level 4

2,397 points

Feb 6, 2012 10:35 AM in response to Moniqa

Monika-

One thing to try is to reset (reboot) the iPad. Hold both the Home and Sleep buttons for several seconds until the Apple logo appears. Ignore the "Slide to power off" arrow. The iPad will restart after a couple of minutes. Resetting this way will not hurt anything, and sometimes clears up mysterious problems.

If that does not help, you may need to put the iPad in recovery mode. See <iPad: Unable to Update or Restore>.

Fred

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Answer 2

Moniqa Author

Level 1

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Feb 6, 2012 2:52 PM in response to Fred-M-

Hi,

I have tried holding the Home and Sleep button. It didn't help.

The iPad is already in recovery mode. I see the same screen on the iPad like at step 4 in the link you sent and when I plug it into the computer, iTunes says that it's in recovery mode and it has to be restored, just like at step 5. When I do try to restore it, first "Restore iPad software" is completed, then it verifies the restore but at the next phase "Restore iPad firmware" it throws the error that "The iPad cannot be restored. Unknown error occured (-1)"

Monika

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Answer 3

Fred-M-

Level 4

2,397 points

Feb 6, 2012 3:06 PM in response to Moniqa

Monika-

That suggests there is a defect in the iPad. If you show it to an Apple Store Genius, you may get a new iPad on the spot. They may be able to do the restore for you, in case the problem is in your computer.

If there is no Apple Store near you, look for an Apple Authorized Repair Center. There may be one in your city. In the US, <United States>. Outside the US, <International>.

Fred

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Answer 4

Moniqa Author

Level 1

0 points

Feb 6, 2012 3:15 PM in response to Fred-M-

Hi, Fred

Thanks a lot for your help.

I found two Apple Authorized Repair Centers in my city and I will go there tomorrow. Hopefully they can fix it or give me a new one.

Regards,

Monika

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Answer 5

Moniqa Author

Level 1

0 points

Feb 7, 2012 2:51 AM in response to Fred-M-

For everyone who experiences the same problem: I went to the Apple Authorized Repair Center where they tried to restore the iPad but they got the same error. I will get a new one in the next days.

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