Q: my ipad 2 won't activate after a factory restore

Hi, swishmish. 

Thank you for visiting Apple Support Communities. 

I understand that you are unable to activate your iPad after a restore.  I have attached the best troubleshooting article to go through.  This article is labeled for an iPhone, but the steps still apply.

1. Restart the iPhone.
2. Try to reach the activation server another way, then try to activate.
• Try connecting to a known-good Wi-Fi network if you can't activate using a cellular data connection.
• Try connecting to iTunes if you can't activate using Wi-Fi.
3. Restore the iPhone.
4. Check the system status for iOS Device Activation. If the iOS Device Activation status isn't green, try activating your iPhone later.

If you receive an alert message when you try to activate your iPhone, place the iPhone in recovery mode and perform a restore. If you still can't complete the setup assistant due to an activation error, contact Apple for assistance.

Get help activating your iPhone

http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201407

Cheers,

Jason H.