iOS 5.1 won't upgrade my iPod & iPad 2 on…

iOS 5.1 won't upgrade my iPod & iPad 2 on my newer mac, but it will install perfectly to my sisters same model iPod using an old windows laptop in same internet connection in the same house

I am using a mac notebook with iTunes 10.6.

I have an iPod 4g and a iPad 2.

When I connect the devices to iTunes, it asks for upgrade, then check and just stalls checking, and goes into some infinite loop or something.

When I tried using the settings -> general -> system upgrade on the devices, the iPod starts to download then says "An error occured downloading ios 5.1"

The iPad can't even connect to check for an upgrade. "An error occured while checking for an upgrade"

My sister has an iPod with iTunes on a Windows laptop in the same house. I helped her with it and it worked perfectly to download and install. I can't use the windows to install ios 5.1 to mine since the PC laptop is older and limited memory to backup my iPod or iPad.

An older Windows can outperform a newer mac notebook, iPad 2 AND an iPod 4g?

Is there a third way I can try to get the newer ios 5.1 installed on my devices?

iPad 2 Wi-Fi, iOS 5.0.1, also iPod Touch 4g

Posted on Mar 7, 2012 6:37 PM

Apr 3, 2012 9:23 AM in response to MacLoyal

This thread pointed me in the right direction and I finally solved the problem of updating my friend's iPad 2 from 4.3.3 to 5.0.1. The path of my detective work through OS X Daily triggered some brain cells and we got the job done.

First I went to:

http://osxdaily.com/2012/03/09/cant-download-ios-5-1-try-these-fixes/

I did not tamper with the DNS settings. It wasn't my house or computer system and my friend's husband is a PC IT guy (hates Apple) so I didn't want to mess with his system. But that link led me to:

http://osxdaily.com/2012/03/07/ios-5-1-download/

We downloaded the IPSW file for her carrier and still nothing. However, this link carried the critical clue. It was the comment about OTA update. I didn't know what OTA meant (Over The Air) so I clicked on it.

http://osxdaily.com/2012/01/12/how-to-use-ota-update-ios/

⚠The last sentence of the OTA Update link made the problem clear: "or because the device is not currently on iOS 5 or greater, when OTA updates became supported."

The previous day I'd spent at her house butting my head against her PC I'd asked if the laptop on her desk we were hooking into, which was nestled in a spaghetti wire mess, was working wirelessly or wired in. Ah, ha! We had no ethernet cable connection. Fundamental, critical problem identified!

I moved her laptop into her TV room, connected the ethernet cable from their internet router. Then I hit "update" yet again. It went through a full back up and restore (but not another 89 minute download). About two hours later, EUREKA!

She is now 5.0.1 and will be able to do all the rest of her updates OTA!! 🙂 😁 😎

I also want to send a shout out to the blog author for this link:

http://trialsandtribstech.blogspot.com//search/label/developer

I found that entry encouraging when I wasn't finding the answer for the dilemma I faced with this problem.