Iphone 3Gs reset has taken 24 hours so far and is still ongoing?! How much longer should I wait? Can I reset the reset process somehow?

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Level 1

9 points

Iphone 3Gs reset has taken 24 hours so far and is still ongoing?! How much longer should I wait? Can I reset the reset process somehow?

I have an Iphone 3Gs with 16 GB memory capacity and recently I applied to unlock the device from AT&T. The unlock was approved but I was provided conflicting information regarding the process to complete the unlock; AT&T stated in their process that I needed to enter my AT&T SIM card (which I have not had for a while now), whereas the apple article AT&T also linked me through stated I needed the new SIM card of the carrier I was going to use.

Since I could not be sure which was correct, I went for the option of unlocking without a new SIM card. This process involved taking a backup of the phone and then resetting the phone to its factory settings. I did read that it could take several hours, so I was prepared for it to take up to 10-12 hours, however this phone has been trying to reset itself for the past 24 hours and 35 minutes! It is not frozen (I guess) because the wheel is still spinning so it is probably still doing something.

My question is: How much longer should I wait before it is certain that something is wrong and action must be taken? If and when that time comes, what (if any) actions could I take?

iPhone 3GS, iOS 5.1.1, Reset difficulties

Posted on Sep 7, 2015 11:07 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

362,007 points

Sep 8, 2015 10:14 PM in response to intelonmac

Placing your device into recovery (DFU-Device Firmware Upgrade) mode:

Follow these steps to place your iOS device into recovery mode. If your iOS device is already in recovery mode, you can proceed immediately to step 6.

1. Disconnect the USB cable from the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, but leave the

other end of the cable connected to your computer's USB port.

2. Turn off the device: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds

until the red slider appears, then slide the slider. Wait for the device to turn off.

* If you cannot turn off the device using the slider, press and hold the

Sleep/Wake and Home buttons at the same time. When the device turns off,

release the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons.

3. While pressing and holding the Home button, reconnect the USB cable to the

device. The device should turn on. Note: If you see the battery charge warning,

let the device charge for at least ten minutes to ensure that the battery has some

charge, and then start with step 2 again.

4. Continue holding the Home button until you see the "Connect to iTunes" screen.

When this screen appears you can release the Home button:

5. If necessary, open iTunes. You should see the following "recovery mode" alert:

6. Use iTunes to restore the device.

If you don't see the "Connect to iTunes" screen, try these steps again. If you see the "Connect to iTunes" screen but the device does not appear in iTunes, see this article and its related links.

Note: When using recovery mode, you can only restore the device. All user content on the device will be erased, but if you had previously synced with iTunes on this computer, you can restore from a previous backup. See this article for more information.

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Answer 2

intelonmac Author

Level 1

9 points

Sep 8, 2015 5:39 AM in response to Kappy

Thank you for the reply. I will try this out but the note at the end caught my attention. I had taken a backup before I attempted this. To restore my iPhone from a backup, do I have to restore in the DFU mode then restore from backup, or can I restore from back up directly (either in the DFU mode or in another mode)?

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

362,007 points

Sep 8, 2015 10:15 PM in response to intelonmac

Given the situation first you need to restore the device. Towards the end you will be asked if you want to restore as New or restore a backup. Choose the latter.

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