I am trying to restore my Apple TV 2 using usb but it does not show up in iTunes.

Question

I am trying to restore my Apple TV 2 using usb but it does not show up in iTunes.

My Apple TV (2nd Generation) has frozen and I want to restore it - when plugged into the TV and turned on it shows the USB cable and the iTunes icon. But when plugged into iTunes on my Mac it does not show up.

I have followed the instructions to the letter (ie its not plugged into the mains) but it will ot show up. I've tried iTunes on a PC and a Mac and neither recognised it.

(The white light on the front of the Apple TV is blinking fairly rapidly when plugged into Mac via usb, so is definitely drawing power).

Can anyone offer a solution - or another way to restore it?

Thanks

AppleTV 2

Posted on Jun 18, 2012 7:48 AM

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Answer 1

Jun 18, 2012 7:57 AM in response to grahambrown500

Welcome to the Apple Community.

You might try this as a last resort:

Launch iTunes
Connect the Apple TV 2 to your computer
Using the Apple TV aluminum remote, hold down both the Menu and Down buttons for about 6 seconds until the device reboots
After reboot, release both of the buttons, and then immediately press and hold the Menu and Play button together
Continue holding until you see a message in iTunes saying an Apple TV in recovery mode has been detected

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Answer 2

Jun 18, 2012 8:17 AM in response to Winston Churchill

Thanks for the reply but still no luck 😟 :

I held Menu and Down for 6 seconds until the white light started blinking rapidly. I then immediately moved to Menu and Play, which led to blackness followed after about 6 seconds by more rapid white light flashing...

...but after five minutes of holding them down still nothing in iTunes.

Am I moving to Menu and Play too soon? (You say hold the buttons until it reboots, but with only the white light to go by this is quite hard to judge! Is it when the white light flashes rapidly or should I wait for a different pattern?)

(Apple TV is also not showing up in Finder. Is it beyond repair?)

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