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iPad2 freezes during iOS 5.1 update

Problem: iPad2 freezes up before iOS 5.1 upgrade can complete


Solution: Try a different USB port


Sounds ridiculously simple but figuring it out was anything but. Followed

all instructions to update my 64GB/3G/iPad2 to iOS 5.1. Thankfully this

included a complete backup before starting the process. Everything appeared

to go normally until, at the very end, iTunes displayed an error informing

me the update did not successfully complete.


Tried the standard trick for restarting iPad. Held the HOME and SLEEP/WAKE

keys down simultaneously for 10 seconds no fewer than ten times but iPad

always came back with the graphic of a USB cable pointing toward an iTunes

icon and was otherwise totally unresponsive.


I finally called Apple. James in their Nashville call center had me try the

"prep for reset" procedure. This involves holding down the same two keys but

releasing them in sequence. When the screen goes black you release the

SLEEP/WAKE key but continue holding the HOME key until the Apple logo

appears. This process is supposed to inform iTunes that iPad needs to be

reset to factory defaults. It probably did what it was supposed to do but

iTunes (for Windows) 10.6 couldn't see iPad so it didn't fix my problem.


Tried unplugging iPad and restarting Windows. Windows hung on the shutdown

screen and the PC had to be power-cycled but then restarted normally. Still

no joy for iPad, though. Same symptom. James was about ready to have me

download and re-install iTunes but we stopped just short of what would have

been a time-consuming P.I.T.A. He suggested I plug iPad into a different USB

port and, voila, iTunes found iPad and we were off the races. The restore

took 5-10 minutes after which I restored the backup I made beforehand and

iPad was fully functional.


Life is good. I get to spend the evening tinkering with GarageBand and I

feel uncharacteristically lucky I landed in James' queue. The experience

convinced me to buy an AppleCare extension. Had this happened a month from

now I would have been S.O.L.

iPad 2, iOS 5.1, Freeze during update

Posted on Mar 25, 2012 1:24 AM

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iPad2 freezes during iOS 5.1 update

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