Apple TV Death after update?

I had the same problem. After prompted for update on TV, I proceeded. Appeared to work, but ended with USB and ITunes on screen. Brought Apple TV to my PC (windows 7), Itunes recognized, clicked on restore to latest version. Update proceeded and appeared to work successfully, however, it ended with message saying update could not be done, error code 1602.

The Apple TV had light continously on after update instead of flashing. I wondered if the update had completed successfully before that error message came out so I brought it back and plugged it back into television. The update HAD completed, it was version 5.1. I just had to reenter all the log in information and it is now working fine.

Just wanted people to know how I got around the failed OTA update.

on the weekend that the new Iphone came out all **** broke loose on my apple tv. I have been using it just fine for nearly 9 months without any error. Now its just acting very random. If it goes to sleep it looses connection to the server or something because the only two icons on the screen are the computer and settings icons. A reset does nothing. I have to unplug the device and re-plug it back in. Then I might get the full menu. Other times it will just spin on the screen saying updating time, then it times out. Other times it will just blink for ever. Other times it will actual get the full menu but will be unable to connect to my itunes library. TheWiFidoesn't work at all. A restore to factory setting wont complete it says it cannot restore. Whatever is going on its bad and very random.

I thought all this may be due to the traffic of all the people getting the new Iphone and a cause of the new updates bogging down the system. But now that it is a over a week later I am not so sure.

It was running WIFI on a Netgear wifi router/ Now that the wifi wont connect at all its connecting at times through a wired connection. it is getting the proper IP address it is set on DHCP.the about screen confirms this. All my other devices are workign just fine and that includes: phones, Ipad, and wireless cable direct tv cable boxes.

This is definately an Apple problem. SInce I read they are call this an issolated insident my guess is they messed up and are working on a fix. Im gonna wait. But we all should be told the truth and be compensated for the loss of ability to use the device. A gift card or something woul dbe nice since its been two weeks since Ive been able to use my apple TV.

What should I do next? Ive read all these post and not convinced I wont brick the apple device by trying some of the suggestions.

Apple please acknowledge. Steve Jobs would be having a fit right now, Im sure. Get on board Apple or your no better than Microsoft.

My Gen 3 Apple TV is now functioning again, after being 'bricked' by an official update from Apple. All this rollback and restore stuff is not what I expect from Apple and pretty disappointing. 2 days dealing with this crap...

Thanks for the helpful information W_C.

ℹ➕ for info:

untill yesterday i could restore to previous software with the mini USB method ( see older posts)

yesterday apparantly that option was not possible anymore as Apple deleted the signatures ( standard procedure after an update).

This morning i tried again and suprise, i could return to previous software again,🙂, maybe Cupertino re-installed the signatures,

so now its on "AppleTV3,1_5.0.2_9B830_Restore.ipsw" again and i leave it there untill i have news that the upgrate to IOS6 or appletv3 5.1 is working.

😐

For what it's worth ~ when booting up this morning, Apple TV 2 was still connected to iMac via

mini USB. The power cable was not plugged in. Launched iTunes, Apple TV 2 was discovered and

restored fine, after 2 days of the error message I forget the number/over it. If you have ATV2, unplug power cord; use only USB. Peace Out ~

Sorry everybody. But after all these posts, I still have no idea where or how I may get the previous apple tv software 5.0.2. There is no 5.0.2_9B830 _Restore.ipsw file in all the mentioned links. Can anybode help me?

Thank-you w_c.

Restore worked like a charm!

So that users don't get confused procedure to restore should state hold option key and restore (not store) at the sametime.

Bad week for Apple! Quality has to be first priority.

Regards,'

topfly

found this one with google....but don't know if it works with this one, i used the link on the first page and when downloaded it worked, this was done on a mac, maybe on a win machine, the download is different for the extension....

<Link Edited By Host>

I too have had issues with the update. I also got the black screen and constantly blinking white light. I called apple and they were going to walk me through the restore via iTunes but I don't have a micro USB cable, so I brought it into the apple store today. They were not able to get it to restore itself from iTunes either. The device simply would not find any wifi or LAN connection.

So, they gave me a new unit. I asked them to install the new update on it. They did and I left the store with a new unit with 5.1 on it.

Got the unit home...plugged in my LAN, power and hdmi cables and turned it on....the unit seemed to start fine. But, when it got to the Activation, it was not able to connect to an apple activation server....huh oh...and I have no access to the Internet either from wifi or my LAN. No YouTube , no iTunes, nada. It sees my network just fine. It currently shows my wifi apple extreme airport that my iPad is connected through, but this Apple TV simply won't work right. Other devices using the same wifi/LAN work just fine.

Guess I am going to call apple again....

Update: Suddenly, while going through menu choices on the apple care phone system, my Apple TV is now seeing the wifi connection and making use of it!

I did absolutely nothing to it. Might the LAN now work? I'm going to try!.......hooray! I'm now streaming through my LAN!

I wonder if apple did something on their end????

Dead ATV after update. A lot of posts in this thread seem to be a little different from the original problem. Fixes that work for some, don't work or don't apply to others.

I unfortunately agreed to the update tongiht before the MUSE concert started at the iTunes festival which I was planning to watch. That was a big mistake, as not only did I miss the concert but I now don't have an ATV at all.

Update seemed to work but upon reboot it just displayed a 'connect to iTunes' screen and a constant flashing appeared on the front of the unit.

The cable required to connect to iTunes is not supplied with the unit. This is bad. There is no clue as to what the problem actually is. This is bad. If I hadn't come across this post I wouldn't have known what the problem was. This is bad. In fact, the more I think about it, I'm having issues believing that this update is still on the servers after the amount of 'issues' this has caused thus far...

I live in the boonies, and Apple have only just opened their first store in Scandinaivia in the last week or so. This doesn't help me - it's miles away. I don't have a mac, I use windows. I don't have a micro USB cable. When I attempted to log the fault with Apple I got a 'techinical support expired' response ... which was just fantastic, I thought. I'm so angry and dissapointed. This is just another addition to a list of problems that seem to be building up with this company and I'm sure I'm not the only person thinking that it's time for a change. I will be looking at alternatives from now on...

Donald & Gillian McDonald,

thanks for your suggestion.

i don't think that is the case for me because i have a micro usb cable and pluged it into may mac and apple tv just fine.

but as i said before, the retore screen does not show up on my computer even though i have it all in order.

since nothing comes up on my screen after following all the steps, i cannot go further to downgrade my apple tv.

Hi HaraKen

Not sure if this will help you but I found the order I plugged the cables in made a difference to whether the restore screen showed up in itunes for me. I found I had to plug the micro-usb cable in first and then plug in the power last for it to show up.

Hi thegirl01,

it did help. thank you.

when i unpluged the power cable, the restore screen appeared on my screen (itunes) all of sudden, then i followed all the steps and got it right. now my apple tv works like it used to.

you would have to hold down the "option" key on your keyboard when you click on "restore" on itunes so that it lets you choose the restore file.

i have to say that you don't even need a power cord for your apple tv to restore, meaning connecting your apple tv and your mac via micro usb only is the way to do it.

still google's original youtube app does not work for airplay. it says "this device cannot airplay" when you try and it airplays audio only.

it is true that the third party app, jasmine, works okay to airplay youtube content but resolutions get worse through jasmine compared to youtube app.

it had been extrememly frustrating to get all those apple tv problems and being forced to struggle to solve them. i am very dissapointed in apple.

apple should add a function to downgrade os for their products so that users will have an option to go back to old version after updating and found troubles with the latest version.

Seems like Apple has re signed the previous iOS version for ATV. I am now able to restore using 5.0.2 which I couldn't for the past 2 days. Now things are back to normal, but it has cost me much time troubleshooting and paying for a uUSB cable.

It's another major lapse of apple quality control.